“Not today, motherf—er!”
Those are the words that Kelly Herron screamed as her “battle cry” when she was attacked without warning.
(I first told you about Kelly on our email list a few months back – and I’ve got an awesome follow-up for you today. First, though, let’s talk about how she fought off a much larger attacker and became an inspiration to other women who could be attacked.)
The homeless sex offender who dragged her to the floor of the bathroom beat her bloody as he tried to rape her.
But Kelly Herron wasn’t finished — not by a long shot!
And while her attack was horrific, it is also the story of…
How A Woman Fought Off A Bathroom Ambush – And Inspired Other Women To Fight Back!
Kelly Herron was standing in a public bathroom off a Seattle running trail when she realized she was in danger.
“As I was drying my hands, I became aware that something was wrong,” she told the news.
That’s when Gary Steiner, a 40-year-old registered sex offender, attacked this 36-year-old marathon runner.
Steiner had been hiding in a bathroom stall in the ladies’ room, just waiting for a victim!
He immediately took her to the floor of the bathroom, wailing away on her with his fists.
Kelly fought like a woman possessed.
At one point, she crawled into a bathroom stall, on her back, and tried to kick the door shut with her foot.
Steiner climbed under the stall door from the next one and began beating her in the face.
Kelly started to feel like she was going to black out.
That was bad, because as soon as she was subdued, Steiner intended to rape her.
That’s when Kelly had what she later described as a “moment of clarity.”
She thought to herself,
“This doesn’t have to be a FAIR fight!”
So she started to claw his face.
Fighting her way clear like a demon, Kelly punched him again and again, telling herself never to give up.
Finally, she managed to escape the bathroom.
A passerby, who had a carabiner keychain, used it to lock Steiner in the bathroom until the cops could arrest him.
And just like that, this lone woman had not only defeated a street ambush… but she had managed to get her scumbag attacker CAUGHT!
Better yet, Kelly Herron’s story beautifully illustrates three tips you can use to prevent an attack by a bigger, stronger attacker – or, if you can’t avoid it, fight it off!
1. Search Your Surroundings For Ambushers
Kelly’s “sixth sense” told her something was wrong when she was standing in the bathroom.
The problem with that kind of intuition is that it’s usually too little, too late!
What she should have done was check the bathroom when she first entered, to see if she was alone.
A quick glance under the stalls would probably have shown her Steiner’s pants and shoes, which would have looked out of place in a ladies’ room.
You should get in the habit of checking your surroundings wherever you are, including when you get into your own car (to make sure nobody’s hiding in the back seat).
2. If You’re Attacked, Fight Like A Rabid Animal
This is the thing Kelly did “most right.”
She fought, and fought, and fought.
In describing the fight on her Instagram account and in interviews after the assault, she spoke several times about the mindset she had.
She refused to give up… refused to let Steiner have his way with her… and refused to become a victim!
When it was over, she posted the picture you see here of her stitched, scarred face.
She wasn’t looking for sympathy.
She wanted people to know that you CAN fight back against an attacker… and that mindset of survival and determination is what saved her from rape (and worse).
3. If You Go “Out” Or They Take You Somewhere Else, It’s Over!
Kelly understood this, and it’s why she got the “burst of adrenaline” to finally fight back and escape Steiner’s grip.
She knew — and spoke about the fact — that if she blacked out, she was going to be raped (and maybe dead).
That very real fear is what gave her the power to keep on fighting past her “limits”.
And that, honestly, makes her one hell of a woman.
But that’s not the whole story.
After Kelly’s attack, she “sparked a boom” (according to a Reuters news story) in women’s self-defense classes.
Better yet, her cry of, “Not today, motherf—er!” became a meme, inspiring many other women to get trained to defend themselves.
“…After [the] publicity about the attack, women have flocked in unprecedented numbers to the same course that helped Herron, and internet searches for the course have increased tenfold, according to Jordan Giarratano, owner of Fighting Chance Seattle, the karate and kickboxing school that prepared Herron,” wrote Daniel Trotta and Tom James for Reuters.
To me, that’s the BEST part of Kelly Herron’s story.
Not only did she fight off a bigger, stronger attacker… but she inspired countless women in her area to go take the same class that helped her fight back.
Now, I have to ask…
If you were attacked, from out of nowhere – and by a bigger and stronger person – would YOU know what to do?
Did you know that there’s a single move that will work for a much smaller person against a larger attacker, allowing you to practically take their head off?
I know… because I’ve used it myself, and it worked for me every single time.
