“People come to train out of self-love, not out of fear. They come to train because they recognize their value as a human being.”

In this insightful second episode of Good Life Stories featuring Dr. Tammy Yard-McCracken, host Tracy Crowley delves deeper into the creation and evolution of 500 Rising, a nonprofit organization transforming women’s self-defense training. The conversation illuminates how personal frustration can spark meaningful social change when channeled with determination and expertise.

Dr. Yard-McCracken begins by sharing the origins of 500 Rising, which emerged from what she modestly describes as a “ranty blog post” during the height of the MeToo movement. While acknowledging the movement raised crucial awareness, she expresses her conviction that hashtags alone cannot create meaningful change in preventing violence against women. Her vision was clear and ambitious: train 500 women in efficient self-defense techniques and underlying psychological concepts, then empower them to become instructors who would “infect their communities” with these vital skills.

The conversation reveals how this vision transformed from concept to reality when a persistent friend challenged Dr. Yard-McCracken to implement her own idea. What began as a seemingly impossible goal has evolved into a thriving nonprofit organization with a structured training program and international reach. With candid humor, Dr. Yard-McCracken admits her surprise at 500 Rising’s trajectory, noting, “I’m in uncharted territory as an organization because I didn’t expect us to be where we’re at.”

The episode provides valuable insight into 500 Rising’s three-tiered training structure, which creates endorsed colleagues, licensed instructors, and directors of training who can perpetuate the program. Despite having “a $0 marketing budget” and relying entirely on grassroots efforts, the organization has conducted multiple training sessions across the United States, United Kingdom, and Scotland, with more scheduled throughout the year. Dr. Yard-McCracken shares their tangible progress toward the “500” goal, noting they’ve trained between 60-80 instructors so far, with one board member pledging to get her first tattoo when they reach the 500th trainee.

As the conversation shifts to personal topics, Dr. Yard-McCracken reflects on the joy of watching her two adult sons, ages 23 and 31, thrive in different phases of life. She contemplates the challenges of maintaining meaningful relationships with adult children while respecting their independence, adding the additional dimension of navigating her role as a mother-in-law. These reflections offer listeners relatable insights into life transitions and evolving family dynamics.

The episode’s final segment explores Dr. Yard-McCracken’s gratitude for the “privilege of being invited to different places on the planet” to share her work. She describes three particularly meaningful experiences: training officers from Minnesota’s second-largest police department (especially significant given her husband’s 33-year law enforcement background), conducting a five-hour Q&A session with deeply engaged instructors in the Czech Republic, and being offered training space by a respected colleague in the United Kingdom. These anecdotes highlight how genuine expertise and passion can open doors internationally and build meaningful cross-cultural connections.

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Yard-McCracken demonstrates the power of approaching self-defense from a position of empowerment rather than fear. She shares the philosophy of her Czech colleagues who want people to “come to train because they recognize their value as a human being,” aligning perfectly with 500 Rising’s mission. This perspective shift—from defensive reaction to proactive self-care—represents a fundamental evolution in how self-defense is conceptualized and taught.

The episode concludes with Tracy acknowledging Dr. Yard-McCracken’s earned success, noting that the international invitations reflect the compelling nature of her work and its ability to address universal needs. This validation leads to a brief discussion about their mutual friend Rory Miller, who has completed 500 Rising’s Level One training, highlighting how the organization is building bridges across different communities within the self-defense world.

This compelling conversation illustrates how expertise, passion, and persistence can transform a conceptual rant into a global movement. Dr. Yard-McCracken’s journey with 500 Rising demonstrates the ripple effect of empowering women with both physical skills and psychological tools, creating change that extends far beyond what hashtags alone can accomplish.

About Dr. Tammy Yard-McCracken

Dr. Tammy McCracken is owner & Global Solutions Director of Personal Defense Industries (PDI). She is the founder of Kore Self-Defense & Krav Maga, the Northern Virginia training center for Kore Defense Industries (KDI). She is a certified Conflict Communication Instructor and is one of four directors with Rory Miller’s Chiron Training. Her training programs have been sought out by safety and security professionals, members of law enforcement, first responders (EMS), and national security professionals.

While training with Krav Maga Global, Dr. McCracken earned an Expert Rank in Israel and her original instructor certification was granted by Eyal Yanilov, Alan Predolin & Ilya Dunsky. She was the third woman to earn an expert rank with KMG in North America and the first fully certified female instructor on the east coast within the same organization. She has advanced instructor training in areas including; women’s Krav Maga, Krav Maga for children/adolescents, mental conditioning, scenario training, de-escalation, conflict management & prevention strategies. She is currently a self-defense instructor with Chiron Training & a core instructor with Violence Dynamics.

Dr. McCracken has provided training and instruction for private companies, international safety and security organizations, and non-profit groups serving populations at high risk for violence. She has been a requested speaker for organizations such as the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) Safety & Security Council and Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFL). Dr. McCracken also serves as a violence dynamics subject matter expert for a Washington DC area tactical training organization coauthoring and instructing a range of courses including Active Shooter Response Scenario Training. Dr. McCracken has served as professional consultant to legal counsel on human behavior/violence, and has been established as expert witness in Virginia and Texas civil and criminal proceedings.

Her academic background includes a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from Illinois State University, a Master’s of Science in Professional Counseling from University of Houston-Clear Lake and Doctorate of Psychology from Eisner Institute of Professional Studies with a research dissertation on using mindfulness training to improve the situational awareness for front-line operatives. In addition to over 25 years as a practicing psychotherapist, Dr. McCracken has served as adjunct faculty for Argosy University and Houston Community College authoring numerous articles on conflict management, instructor development and gender issues in self-defense.

Dr. Tammy Yard-McCracken’s Links

• Kore Self Defense: https://koreselfdefense.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammyyardmccracken/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammy-yard-mccracken-psy-d-lpc-sas-09685a32/

About Tracy Crowley

Tracy Crowley has always been an entrepreneur. Whether it was making gowns for fellow Army wives, taking portraits in black and white, or working on her other businesses, she is always learning something new.

That passion for learning something new and giving something back collide nicely in this podcast.

Join Tracy for Good Life Stories, where simple curiosity brings out great stories, every single time.

Check out Tracy’s new book! https://tracycrowley.life/