M.E. Heald graduated 2006 with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology, and in 2010 with a masters in Criminal Justice specific to gangs and youth offenders. She has worked all over the place, including food service, sales, a few years as a promotional and advertising model, a year as a Miller Light Gal, she has also been an advocate at a sexual assault center and has spent the last 7 years as a corrections officer, the last 9 as a case manager. She trains new staff in self-defense, control tactics, crisis intervention, motivational interviewing, scenario-based trainings, conflict management, negotiations and more. In this episode, M.E. Heald and I discuss: Practicing situational awareness Understanding the criminal mind Crisis intervention and negotiations Safety tips to use when travelling Key Takeaways: Be aware and listen to your gut - it will save you from a lot of trouble. Understanding the criminal mind will help you keep yourself safe and be one step ahead of predators. People are complicated, there are a lot of things that happen that make people who they are - choices they made and choices that were made upon them. Give people a way out, if it's an option, when intervening in a crisis and you might get to them more effectively. "Know your surroundings, know your go-to places, let the people you trust know where you're going, know who you're with" — M.E. Heald Connect with M.E. Heald: Website: https://500rising.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mheald10/?hl=en CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA: If you'd like to chat with Cynthia, sign up for your Personal Safety Preparedness Consultation with her today! Remember to subscribe to "Born to Be A Badass" so that you don't miss a single episode, and join us in the "Born to Be A Badass Collective" group on Facebook. While you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! If you work in the self-defense world, are a survivor, a healer or otherwise BADASS woman and you would like to be interviewed by Cynthia, reach out at [email protected] To learn more about previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to Apple Podcasts or here. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin