Lissette Delgado-Fitzgerald

About 8 years ago, after a 20-year career in Marketing and Editorial, I pivoted toward dedicating all of my time to my true passion: Empowering people through non-violent communications, self defense practice, empathy, and community.

Today, I head the nonprofit I founded with my partner, ASSERT Empowerment Self Defense, which focuses on providing Empowerment Self Defense education to communities across the country. We certify Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) Instructors by providing the financial and business support necessary to gain ESD and ancillary training that sets them on the path to changing perceptions, establishing themselves as experts, and working to become leaders in their communities. Those CAIs (Certified ASSERT Instructors) are hired, funded, and supported, returning to their communities and establishing regular ESD education programs.

I also head ASSERT Professionals, an Empowerment Self Defense service provider for civilians, NGOs and nonprofits looking to create safer protest and civil disobedience spaces and training for their activists, corporate clients looking for team building and safety training and protocols, law enforcement and security companies and institutions – private and public, looking to provide socially conscious, culturally relevant training to their officers, and even special operations teams in need of supplementary close quarters combat training. Offerings range from trauma-informed and child-friendly ESD classes, non-violent de-escalation, and home defense to edged weapons defense, firearms safety training, and firearms and weapon defensive tactics, based on the organization requesting our services. the goal of ASSERT Professionals is to change the preponderance of Predator Culture in these spaces and engender safe, inclusive organizational structures that are collaborative and productive.

My goals, through both organizations, are to bring more women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Im/Migrant, and underserved communities to a shared, gender inclusive table where they are welcomed as experts in safety and security — areas traditional held as exclusively male industries, and to improve our communal quality of living through Gender parity, Empathy, Empowerment, Integrity, Support, Communication, and the understanding that we can all be Safe to Succeed.

My amazing spouse is my partner in both life and business. We live in Nashville with our two cats, where we run KSA Martial Academy, an Empowerment-based martial arts dojo. We are proud of our two grown children, one of which is training to become a chef and one who serves in the US Navy.