Antonella Spatola is a globally recognised violence prevention educator and founder of True To You Charity and Wisdom for Women. A Board Member of the Association of International ESD Professionals and a Fellow of the Every Woman Treaty, she brings over 20 years of experience in psychology, conflict resolution, Wing Chun Kung Fu, the Enneagram, and Empowerment Self-Defence (ESD).

Based in the Asia-Pacific region, Antonella mentors instructors worldwide, promoting trauma-informed, evidence-based, and holistic approaches to empowerment. Her dynamic, accessible workshops focus on assertiveness, resilience, and confidence-building, and have reached women across Asia, including in the Philippines, Myanmar, and 14 other countries. True To You is supported by local councils, grants, and community partners.
 

Contact:  info@truetoyou.charity   www.truetoyou.charity

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Bell Murphy is an accredited member of Kia Haumaru—Personal Safety Education, Aotearoa New Zealand’s national ESD network which has been running for 35 years. Within the network, she has been teaching ESD since 2013, is a member of the national board and of the teacher training team. She has been researching ESD since 2016 through the Gender Studies Doctoral Programme at the University of Otago, her research seeks to illuminate the meaning of empowerment in the context of ESD programmes in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This terrain is explored theoretically (through critical pedagogy, feminist theory and political philosophy) and empirically through her experience as a teacher, thematic analysis of interviews with other teachers and observations of ESD classes. She is also coprincipal investigator on the research project Using Talk and the Body to Prevent Gender-based Violence, a video study of ESD classes based at Victoria University Wellington’s School of Psychology.

Contact: bell@kiahaumaru.org.nz

Poy de Lara is a distinguished Trauma and Resilience Life Coach based in Canada, renowned for his expertise in navigating the complexities of trauma and resilience. As the founder and chairman of UDRiVe Group Philippines, he is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities to overcome adversity and thrive through a holistic approach to health and wellness.

With a robust educational background, Poy holds certifications from The Trauma Institute International as a Certified Trauma and Resilience Life Coach, as well as being a Certified Forward-Facing® Coach and Consultant. His specialized focus includes healing form Adverse Childhood Experiences, Post-Traumatic Growth, Religious Trauma, Addiction Recovery and Professional Resilience, where he employs innovative strategies to help clients reclaim their lives after trauma.

JB Ramos ESDP, is the lead instructor at Combat Science: Warrior Arts of Asia, a Toronto-based school preserving Filipino martial traditions while advancing trauma-informed self-defense. With nearly 30 years of martial arts experience, JB is a world champion, certified self-defense instructor, and dedicated advocate for violence prevention and gender equity.

Contact: Info.filipinomartialarts@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/share/1AgqsrcAWn/ Lifecoaching.poydelara@gmail.com    https://www.facebook.com/share/1AvTPKAwqH/    https://www.facebook.com/share/1AgqsrcAWn/  

Krista Hanley and Kayla Berry are founders and co-owners of We Are Safer Together, an organization that focuses on teaching adaptive, inclusive, and trauma-informed self-defense and safety skills. While We Are Safer Together is located in Denver, Colorado (USA), we teach everywhere and virtually. 

Contact:  wearesafertogether@gmail.com,    wearesafertogether.com.

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Vy is currently in charge of training at the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women, and Adolescents (CSAGA). She has been working at CSAGA since 2004, when she had just graduated from high school and started as a part-time staff member. Over the years, she has taken on various roles such as project officer, communications officer, and project manager.The more she worked, the more she realized that her commitment to the field stemmed not only from professional responsibility, but also from a deep personal passion and concern.

Contact: vynp114@gmail.com

Pam Valdez has a bachelor's degree in law, a post graduation in Criminal Profiling and is also a former martial arts athlete, with international training in Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) and IMPACT methods by ESDGlobal.  

Pam has been an instructor for nine years already, training more than six thousand women in twelve different states of Brazil and abroad. With extensive experience in public policies, she seeks to articulate the implementation of ESD as an effective way of preventing and combating violence against women and vulnerable people. She is the founder of ESD BRASIL, a company that has the mission of teaching ESD as a prevention tool to gender violence, focused on preventing harassment and domestic violence.

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Contact:  https://www.instagram.com/soupamvaldez/,    https://esdbrasil.com.br/

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Petra Carman, PhD, is a social psychologist and facilitator with a background in criminal justice and security, and a lifelong passion for empowerment and engaged spirituality. A former martial arts practitioner (Taekwondo and Kung Fu), she now works at the intersection of social change, embodiment, and alternative education. Since 2018, Petra has coordinated and facilitated empowerment-based learning under a Thai Buddhist NGO, working with diverse groups including activists, monastics, and international seekers. She completed her Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) teacher training in 2022 and has since taught ESD in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Slovenia, supporting learners of different ages, cultural backgrounds, and ability levels.

Contact: linkedin.com/in/petracarman  carman.petra@gmail.com