Contributor

Ellen Snortland

Author, Playwright, Activist, Lawyer, Self-Defense Advocate, Bad-ass!

Ellen Snortland is many things: a writing coach who works with both individuals and groups, an author, columnist, self-defense advocate, actor, lawyer, radio and TV personality and more. She is a true Renaissance Woman. Her groundbreaking book on women’s self-defense, “Beauty Bites Beast” (with a foreword by Gavin de Becker) was featured on Dateline NBC; the book is now in its 3rd Edition. In 2016, a feature-length documentary version of the book was released; view the trailer here: http://bit.ly/BBB-2016. A regular columnist for the Pasadena Weekly (www.pasadenaweekly.com) and frequent contributor to Ms. Magazine, Ellen is an advocate for women and girls, and physical safety for all. “There’s a saying: ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’” Snortland says, “Your body is as local as it gets.” As a past president of the UNA, Pasadena Chapter, she has attended United Nations world conferences and annual UN meetings as an NGO delegate and journalist. She performs her acclaimed one-woman show, “Now That She’s Gone,” a comic memoir about growing up Norwegian-American to SRO audiences, and is currently active with 50-50 Leadership, a non-profit that envisions more women and girls in leadership positions. Ellen also serves on the boards of Impact Personal Safety (www.impactpersonalsafety.com) and Consumer Watchdog (www.consumerwatchdog.org). She presents personal safety talks and workshops for corporations and educational institutions as “The Safety Godmother,” and her new book co-authored with IMPACT Personal Safety founder Lisa Gaeta is aptly titled “The Safety Godmothers: the ABCS of Awareness, Boundaries and Confidence for Teens.”

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