
Community
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me to add your own content and make changes to the font. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
SPECIAL WOMEN'S SELF DEFENSE WORKSHOP: SEPTEMBER 30TH
Our powerful self defense workshops engage audiences from the Fortune 500 list to the local Girl Scouts! The objective? To completely transform the way women think and feel about their ability to protect themselves. Through effective physical self defense techniques, practical street smart strategies, and motivational story telling, participants leave with the skills AND the mindset needed to become their own personal body-guard.
Explore Our Most Popular Workshops

We'll come to you,
or you can come to us!
We'll travel to provide the training at your location, or you can come to our professional gym space in Highland Village TX, or Toronto Canada.
Who We've Worked With & What They Say
"We had Gemma come out during International Women's Day to train the ladies of our building. We all had a great time and enjoyed the session so much. She is a great instructor!"
-Kelsey L, Varispace
"I've had Gemma Sheehan teach five Virtual Self Defense Workshops at Lambton College and she was amazing every time. Gemma has an amazing energy and is very passionate about the material she teaches. She taught the students practical self defense skills and provided them with a valuable lesson on street safety. All of the students who attended had nothing but amazing things to say about Gemma."
-Ashleigh Carrol, Lambton College
"For almost 10 years I have hosted an invite-only conference for clients, and I can say without hesitation that Gemma was one of the most engaging speakers we’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. She was funny, candid, inspiring and heartfelt. Her story is both unique and universal, and my audience of business and marketing leaders were truly moved. Gemma is interesting, and inspiring."
Neil Follet, Brightworks
"We booked a 1.5 hr self-defense training session and it was amazing. Everyone, even our shyest girls, participated fully, and Gemma took the time to watch each one and give them specific pointers and encouragement. She had them laughing and fully engaged from beginning to end."
-Melissa Brydges, Girl Guides of Ontario
"We hired Gemma to do a webinar with over 1000 members of an online parent community and the response from her session on "Street Smarts for Kids" was absolutely phenomenal. We couldn't recommend her enough for a workshop or any other kind of online session. Every parent and child needs access to the information she can share."
-Samantha P, Cat & Nat
The Science Behind Self Defense Training
Women's self‐defense training is the only sexual violence prevention strategy with solid evidence of effectiveness at reducing rates of victimization.
A study of three Canadian universities found that women who completed a self defense course were nearly half as likely
to report being raped during the 1‐year follow‐up period than the control group. Unwanted sexual contact
and attempted rape were also significantly lower for women who completed the training.
A study of 522 high school girls in Kenya found that girls who received self defense training were 63% less likely to have experienced a sexual assault 1 year later than girls at schools who did not.
An analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey data found that taking “self‐protective action” reduced the likelihood of completed rape by 87%. Physical self‐defense was especially effective, resulting in an 81% decrease in the likelihood of completed rape.
Click here for a list of published studies on the effectiveness of self defense training for violence prevention
Taught by Former MMA Fighter & gwf founder!

Gemma Sheehan
MMA Fighter, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt, Self Defense Instructor
What 15+ years of experience in kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu, and wrestling gave me so much more than fighting skill— is the confidence that I can succeed, the mental toughness to fail and keep going, and the courage to stand up for myself in every aspect of my life. If every girl could tap into these powers it would change their life completely.
In 2017 I founded Girls Who Fight with a mission to give girls and women the skills to protect their lives and succeed in everything they do. Through physical training, street-smart education, and unforgettably motivational experiences, we ignite the powerful belief that you have everything it takes to be your fiercest protector.
We deliver this transformative training through our classes and courses in DFW and the incredible workshops we provide for every type of organization around the world!