Self-Defense Is About Getting Home Safe - Resilience & Relationships - Stephanie Olson, Rebecca Saunders, & Ryan MillerSelf-Defense Is About Getting Home Safe - Resilience & Relationships - Stephanie Olson, Rebecca Saunders, & Ryan Miller
Resilience in Life and Leadership
Ryan Miller talks with Stephanie Olson and Rebecca Saunders about self-defence as the art of getting home safe, covering physical skills, boundaries, and digital safety. The conversation ties resilience, confidence, and prevention into practical tips for adults, kids, and families.
40:22•14 Oct 2026
Getting Home Safe: Real-World Self-Defence with Ryan Miller
Episode Overview
- Self-defence is about keeping yourself safe, not winning a fight, and can include giving up possessions if that’s the safest option.
- Strong situational awareness—planning routes, scanning exits, and reading body language—reduces risk before danger escalates.
- Regular practice of verbal boundaries and physical skills helps prevent freezing and builds confidence to act under pressure.
- Digital choices matter: limit what you share publicly, control location data, and post travel updates after returning home.
- Teaching kids specific phrases and that there are “no rules” when someone grabs them can increase their safety and prompt bystander help.
“I can cancel all that stuff, but I can't replace me.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of staying safe and resilient. This conversation centres on how self-defence is really about one thing: getting home safe. Ryan Miller, owner and chief instructor at Apex Martial Arts in Omaha, chats with host Stephanie Olson and co-host Rebecca Saunders about what self-defence looks like in everyday life for adults, kids, and families. Ryan breaks down Krav Maga in plain language, stripping away movie myths and macho bravado.
For him, "self-defense is anything you do to keep yourself safe"—whether that’s handing over your phone, setting a firm verbal boundary, or knowing when you actually need to fight. He explains how the Israeli-born system focuses on neutralising a threat quickly and escaping, rather than "winning" a fight.
You’ll hear Ryan’s personal journey from sports-mad kid to sixth degree taekwondo master, Krav Maga instructor, and jiu-jitsu purple belt, including how missing out on dental school unexpectedly led him to his passion and even to meeting his wife. Along the way, he shares how confidence, body language, and regular practice can put off bullies and attackers before anything turns physical.
The episode also tackles tougher topics: school bullying, school shootings, kids’ boundaries, and how digital life can quietly increase risk. Ryan offers practical tips on social media privacy, location settings, and safer online-to-offline meetups, always stressing that violence is never the victim’s fault. A powerful analogy compares attacks to car accidents—you can do everything right and still be harmed, and that responsibility sits with the person causing the harm.
Parents will especially appreciate the discussion on teaching kids to shout specific phrases like "You’re not my mum, you’re not my dad" and why there are “no rules” when a child is grabbed. The episode wraps with details of an anti-kidnapping and anti-trafficking seminar for ages 8–18, blending physical self-defence with digital safety education.
If you’ve ever wondered how to feel safer without living in fear, this chat might be the nudge to sharpen your skills and rethink what resilience really means.
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