<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[karenbarbaro.com]]></title><description><![CDATA[Karenbarbaro]]></description><link>https://www.karenbarbaro.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:58:54 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.karenbarbaro.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[It Was Never About Strangers: What Real Self-Defense Actually Teaches.]]></title><description><![CDATA[We tell kids to trust their gut. Then, somewhere along the way — especially for girls — we teach them not to. 	"Don't be rude." "You're overreacting." "I'm sure he didn't mean it like that." "Just be nice." By the time most of us are adults, we've had years of practice ignoring the exact instinct that was designed to keep us safe, all in the name of not hurting someone else's feelings. 	I've spent twenty-five years teaching self-defense, and the hardest thing I teach isn't a technique. It's...]]></description><link>https://www.karenbarbaro.com/post/it-was-never-about-strangers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a416c2f8dfe5dce516bd162</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 18:47:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e63338_f859f6ed840d498aa3fd38e6bf98e2ba~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>karenjobarbaro</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>