Meet Andrea Person | Co-Founder & Board Chair

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrea Person and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Sexual violence creates a loss of equity, power, and control. Research about how trauma impacts the brain is starting to discover that body-focused treatments are incredibly effective at helping people heal from trauma. Self defense training has the opportunity to allow survivors of sexual violence to process and resolve some of the physical impulses triggered by trauma. Unfortunately, most self-defense studios are not equipped with the experience or knowledge to adapt their instruction for survivors. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I know first hand how retraumatizing and harmful self-defense instruction can be when it is not trauma-informed. Cor Defense is a nonprofit organization that provides trauma-informed defense training to survivors of sexual violence. We encourage trauma recovery by providing survivors of sexual violence with a safe and empowering environment, while teaching them skills that build confidence and autonomy.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started out in the human services field, with over ten years of experience working directly with people experiencing trauma. I think that’s what sets Cor Defense apart from other self-defense schools that try to incorporate trauma-informed care into their instruction. They usually start with martial arts and then add trauma-informed care. Their end goal is teaching the techniques and martial arts. Cor Defense started with trauma-informed care and incorporated self-defense through Krav Maga. Our end goal is healing, so we use Krav Maga as a means to the end.

Cor Defense is also different in that we operate as a nonprofit organization. We hope to make trauma-informed defense training accessible to everyone who has experienced sexual violence. Research demonstrates that survivors struggle maintaining full-time employment and often cannot afford the cost of counseling or other services to help them heal. We do not want to participate in the financial burden of healing, so our classes have “suggested” prices. This allows survivors to pay what they can afford, while still accessing healing.

In order to become a Level 6 Krav Maga Instructor, I had to take a two week long certification course, totaling over 140 hours of training, and I had to pass a 6 hour physical fitness test. I was the only woman who tested that day. One of the instructors who was testing us pulled me aside after I received my certification and told me two things: I was the most aggressive person on the mat that day, and she has never seen a woman with similar trauma reach the level I am at in my training. The only thing that got me through the 6 hour test was imagining all of the people we were going to help with Cor Defense.

I want the world to know that survivors of sexual violence are not responsible for the trauma they have suffered. We do not need to know how to defend ourselves to prevent attacks. The only way to prevent attacks is to teach people not to attack. Cor Defense is not attempting to teach survivors of sexual violence how to prevent another attack. We are simply providing a trauma-informed environment so survivors have the option to heal from body-focused treatment.

I also want the world to know that survivors of sexual violence are some of the most inspiring and courageous human beings I have ever met and I am honored to be a part of their healing journey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A night in Old Town Fort Collins would be an easy go-to, especially dinner at the Blue Agave Grill and then we’d get a table at The Comedy Fort, or people watch in Old Town Square! Or I would take them around the scenic Loveland Benson Sculpture Garden, shopping and then lunch at Vatos in Downtown Loveland, and… well you really can’t go anywhere after one of the spicy “Vato Macho” margaritas!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to recognize Peggy Lyle from Larimer County’s Small Business Development Center as a mentor, coach, and friend. Her expertise and creativity has helped me progress to where I am today. I would also like to thank my dear friend Marla, who has believed in me since day one. And lastly, I would like to acknowledge my husband, Lonnie, Co-Founder and Vice Chair of Cor Defense. His commitment to our mission and vision has kept this life-changing movement going.

Website: https://cordefense.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cor.defense/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cor-defense