Personal Safety, Self-Defense & Readiness Training
Most safety training ends where the danger starts.
Awareness tells you something is wrong. It does not tell you what to do with your hands, your voice, or the next ninety seconds. That part is trainable, and that is one of the parts I teach.
But first I listen — that’s what the free 15 minutes are for. Let’s figure out how I can help you!
Preparation should fit the life you actually live.
Four different people land on this page and they need four different things. Pick the one that sounds like you.
Individuals & Families
You want to stop rehearsing worst cases at 2am.
Private and small-group training built around your commute, your building, your routine — not a generic threat model.
See training options →Realtors & Brokerages
You show empty houses to strangers for a living.
Approved CE that is actually about your job: showings, open houses, lockboxes, the client who arrives in a second car.
See the CE course →Teams, Campuses & Nonprofits
Your people are exposed in ways your policy binder doesn't cover.
Field staff, front desks, late shifts, home visits, campus housing. Built around where your risk actually sits.
Tell me what you're facing →Executives & Private Clients
Visibility changed your exposure before anyone told you.
Private readiness for people whose profile, travel or responsibility puts them in rooms they do not control.
Private readiness →You need a session people talk about in the hallway afterward.
Check availability → See speaking topics →Readiness doesn't end when the incident is over.
Three phases. Most training only covers the middle one, and not well.
Predict. Prevail. Persist.™
Predict
Reading behavior before a situation forms. Baselines, clusters, and the pre-incident indicators that show up in parking garages, lobbies and showings.
Prevail
What you do with your body, your distance and your voice when it is already happening. Trained under pressure, not explained on a slide.
Persist
The part nobody teaches. Reporting, documentation, the days after, and getting back to normal without building a new fear around it.
Shelters · Advocacy · Support programs
When it has already happened.
Most personal safety training quietly assumes the room has never been hurt. In a shelter or an advocacy office that assumption is wrong before the session starts, and the people in front of you feel it immediately.
Standard content asks a survivor to picture an attack and consider what they would do differently. However carefully it is phrased, the implication lands: that the outcome was theirs to change.
That reinforces self-blame and teaches people their body failed them — when their body did what bodies do under threat.
Momba builds the other version. Programs for people already past the incident, where the goal is not prevention but the return of agency: choice, control, and physical confidence. Trauma-aware by design, not adapted later — Carmen's postgraduate research covers PTSD, which is why every physical step is sequenced around consent and predictability rather than pressure and surprise.
What we do differently
- No surprise scenarios, ever — everything is announced before it happens
- No re-enactment of anyone's own experience
- Consent asked at each physical stage, and opting out costs nothing
- Participants choose their level of contact, including none
- Physical skills that work without strength, speed or fitness
- Language that never implies an outcome was preventable
- Sessions that close down deliberately rather than ending on activation
- Advocates and staff welcome in the room throughout
Train the trainer
Your advocates are with your people every week. Momba is not. The point of a program is that it keeps working between visits.
Delivered inside a domestic violence support environment, a church-affiliated shelter, the Department of Veterans Affairs Police Services and youth programs through Girls For A Change — most of it confidential, which is why it is described in general terms. Ongoing arrangements run as a Momba Safety Partnership™.
Momba delivers training and education. It is not therapy, counseling or clinical treatment, and it is designed to sit alongside the professional support your organization already provides — never to replace it.
What is uncertainty costing you right now?
There is a price you are already paying, and it does not show up on any invoice.
The route you won't take after dark. The showing you moved because something felt off but you couldn't say what. The parking deck you circle twice. The mental rehearsal that runs at 2am and never resolves — because it can't.
It does not stay a feeling. It turns into time, money and attention: the appointment you cut short, the second person you bring along so you are not alone, the client you only half hear because part of you is watching the door.
That is the Anxiety Tax™. Training doesn't make the risk disappear. It gives you an answer, so the rehearsal stops.
Worry is not preparation. It is the bill for not having any.
By Carmen Gulliksen, published in Real Estate Agent Magazine. Read the article →
Preparation should reflect the life you actually live.
Generic advice only goes so far. Every engagement starts with the environments you actually move through and the people you are responsible for.
Executives & high-visibility individuals
Leadership and visibility put you in environments where your attention is already divided and the people around you keep changing. Travel, public appearances, speaking engagements, events, unfamiliar venues.
Private readiness built around that reality — not a corporate module, and not a close-protection sales pitch for something you do not need.
Book a free 15-minute call
Families & private clients
Protecting the life you have built should not require living afraid of losing it. Practical preparation for individuals and families who want more options while continuing to travel, work and spend time together.
Sessions are scaled to whoever is in the room — including teenagers, and including people who have been through something already.
See private training options
Trusted advisors & organizations
When people trust you with their business, their staff or their families, readiness becomes part of the larger conversation about protecting what matters.
Momba works with brokerages, associations, public agencies, campuses and nonprofits that want practical readiness resources for the people they serve.
Organizational training
Meet Carmen
She isn't teaching pressure from a slide deck.
- Active professional boxer — 6–2 record, turned pro at 47
- 30+ years teaching martial arts; Shihan recognition, multiple black belts
- Karate, hapkido, tae kwon do and law enforcement training
- MBA, MSIS and a postgraduate diploma in health research, with merit
- Research focus on PTSD and ADHD
- DPOR-approved real estate school owner and CE instructor
- Published in Real Estate Agent Magazine; 2025 Marquis Who's Who listee
Practice without evidence becomes false confidence. Research without practice fails under pressure. Both belong in the room.
Who's Who 2025
SWaM-Certified · Women-Owned · Military-Owned
What people say after the room empties.
The measure that counts is whether anything survives a month later — and whether they would put their own name to it.
I hired Carmen to provide two hours of DPOR-certified CE safety training to my agents at Williamsburg Realty. It was outstanding! Carmen is knowledgeable, experienced, organized, personable, and real estate agent-focused. I highly recommend this class.
Every now and then, you come across a person, product, or service you feel compelled to recommend—and this is absolutely one of those moments. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Carmen for several years, and during that time I’ve watched her repeatedly demonstrate a rare talent: she connects with people in a way that builds real accountability and drives meaningful change.
Carmen is a committed entrepreneur who has earned her place through passion, purpose, and a genuine desire to create solutions that meet people where they are. The foundation of the Momba Network is beyond impressive—and the best part is, it continues to evolve in all the right ways.
I’ve heard the feedback from current users firsthand, and it’s clear that this is not just another online subscription. It’s refreshing, intentional, and rooted in effective human interaction with a positive mission behind it.
Go Momba—this is only the beginning.
Dr. Yudo
VP, Doctorate in Healthcare Administration, Certified Nutritionist, Behavior Change Coach, Stress Management Specialist, CTTS, Sleep Science Certified
I really enjoyed this course! It provided practical safety tips and real world strategies. Carmen was knowledgeable, engaging, and did an excellent job bringing the material to life through real-life examples and practical advice, making the course informative and enjoyable.
Awesomeeee Woman of power and strength. Carmen was absolutely phenomenal during our Women’s Situational Awareness & Safety Training at SYWO Security Academy.
She delivered self-defense techniques in a way that was clear, practical, and empowering. Her confidence and passion made every woman in the room feel more capable and prepared.
We are truly grateful for her impact and look forward to working with her again. Thank you, Carmen & Momba, for helping us empower and protect our community! It’s an honor to know you.
Thessa H.
Marine, Founder, SYWO Security Academy
Training with Carmen has been an incredible experience. She brings the perfect mix of technical skill, motivation, and real-world practicality to every session. Her background in boxing and self-defense shows — she breaks down techniques clearly, pushes you to improve, and makes every workout both challenging and empowering.
What really stands out is how she creates a welcoming and supportive environment, especially for beginners who might feel intimidated stepping into combat sports. I have gained not just strength and endurance, but genuine confidence. If you’re looking for a skilled, encouraging, and professional instructor, Carmen is the real deal!
They say it’s not about how you fall, but how you get up. But when life really hits, those sayings don’t help much. That’s where Carmen comes in.
I met her over fifteen years ago when she trained one of my sons in taekwondo, the other in Combat Hapkido, and I was immediately struck by her rare mix of calm authority and deep compassion. Later, in her women’s self-defense class, I saw it again — she pushes you to grow but never lets you feel alone.
Since then, I’ve watched her live what she teaches: grace under pressure, resilience through loss, strength through discipline. She’s walked through real storms and somehow turned each one into purpose.
When I went through my own hard season, she didn’t offer clichés — she offered presence, belief, and tools to rebuild. That’s her gift: she sees your strength long before you do.
Carmen doesn’t just teach resilience — she embodies it. Working with her isn’t about “being strong.” It’s about remembering that you already are.
Irina H.
Finance Professional, MBA, CMA, CSCA
Carmen led a self-defense class at my all-women’s gym, Empower, and it was so informative and equipping! Our members were very grateful to have gained such valuable information.
When life knocks you flat, Carmen’s the one who helps you find your footing again. I first met her over 20 years ago, and what’s always stood out is her strength. She doesn’t just talk about it — she lives it.
Her strength is contagious and I always leave her space motivated and uplifted.
Carmen led a women’s self defense class for our non-profit and her level of expertise and ability to connect with her students is incredible!
She’s an excellent teacher, coach, and encourager, offering ways to improve while remaining patient. She is great at seeing what I am doing wrong and how to correct. She takes my reasons for coming seriously. I can’t begin to say how much that means to me. […] I highly recommend Carmen.
Sarah B.
Registered Life Planner®, Financial Advisor
I am still riding the feeling of being excited about learning! I’m really pumped and passionate about continuing. I want to be able to protect myself and my family and I’m one step closer to attaining that. Thank you for being a passionate role model.
Training reaches you — in Virginia, across the country, and online.
Almost none of this happens in a rented classroom. It happens in your building, on your schedule — or on your screen when getting everyone in one room isn't realistic.
Virginia · DPOR CE credit
Realtor CE — at your brokerage, or a Richmond venue
Continuing education credit is state-regulated, so the approved 2-hour elective (course #0214031425) is delivered in Virginia. Run it on site at your office, or use a Richmond-area location provided for groups. Sessions cover Richmond, Midlothian, Chesterfield, Henrico, Glen Allen, Short Pump and Mechanicsville, and travel to Williamsburg, Petersburg, Charlottesville and Northern Virginia.
See the CE course →United States & international
Workshops, private and organizational training, lectures
Everything outside the CE credit travels. Corporate and campus programs, nonprofit and agency workshops, private and family sessions, lectures, keynotes and conference breakouts — delivered anywhere in the United States and internationally. Travel is arranged as part of scoping the engagement.
Organizational training →Anywhere · Any time
Online readiness modules
For people who cannot get everyone into one room, or who want the material to stay available afterwards: online modules and live virtual coaching you can work through wherever you are, at whatever hour actually suits you.
See online options →What does not change is the method. Live or online, it is built around the environment you actually operate in — trauma-aware, hands-on where it can be, and never a generic threat model borrowed from somewhere else. If your people sit somewhere I have not listed, ask anyway.
Between sessions
Readiness that keeps going when the room empties.
A two-hour class is a starting point, not a habit. These are the two places the work continues — wherever you are, whenever it suits you.
Newsletter
The Momba Brief
A twice-monthly read on practical readiness — one situation, one decision, one thing you can actually use. Short enough to finish, specific enough to remember.
See the Brief →Community
The MOMBA Network
Live reset calls, workshop recordings, and a place to bring a real question and get a straight answer — alongside people working on the same thing.
Join the Network →Self-paced
Online modules & coaching
For people who can't get everyone in one room, or who want the material to stay available afterwards. Work through it wherever you are, at whatever hour actually suits.
See the options →Coming up
Public dates you can join.
Workshops and series open to sign-ups — in Richmond, across Virginia and wherever a group brings The Momba in.
Readiness should not be a one-time conversation.
For advisors and organizations responsible for looking after executives, staff and families, readiness works better as a standing arrangement than as a workshop somebody booked once and ticked off.
The Momba Safety Partnership™
Ongoing safety and risk-readiness support, scoped to the people, environments and responsibilities your organization actually carries.
Rather than treating readiness as a once-a-year presentation, a partnership keeps the conversation live as circumstances change — which is the only way it stays useful.
The Momba Brief
One practical thing you can use, twice a month.
Carmen’s personal safety newsletter: one ordinary situation, the decision that changes it, two minutes to read. Your first issue is free.
In Transit
Getting into a car you don't control
A record nobody knows about protects nobody.
August 15, 2026
Read the issue →Reading the Room
Four seconds when you walk in
You can't invent an exit in the moment. You can only recall one.
August 1, 2026
Read the issue →Before You Arrive
The decision you make before you park
Park for the return, not the arrival.
July 15, 2026
Read the issue →I teach the skills people wish they had five minutes earlier.
Start wherever you are. Tell me what you need — fifteen minutes is usually enough to work out the rest together.