Ling Qin inspires women to gain physical safety and financial security.

Ling Qin is a young accountant, who is also a passionate salsa dancer and Judo/self-defense practitionner. She went to UCSB to get her bachelor’s degree and after that she moved up to San Francisco to start her career with Ernst and Young. Ling is now busy studying for her CPA exams.

ZENPLIFICATION:
Can you describe your idea of peace of mind?

LING:
When you’re so immersed in what you’re doing, it can bring you peace of mind. When I salsa dance or when I’m at judo I would consider that peace of mind because even though I am thinking of other things like how I’m dancing or thinking if I’m doing this maneuver correctly, to me that in a sense is peace of mind because it doesn’t cause me stress. So I feel like that anytime when I have that moment when I am not stressing about anything, not thinking about my problems and just focusing on one thing in front of me, that is in a sense peace of mind. I read a lot, I like to read detective fiction and for me when I read those books, I kind of get lost into the stories and stop noticing anything that’s happening around me.

ZENPLIFICATION:
What role do you think self-defense can play in making this world a better place for women and girls?

LING:
Self-defense helps women become more confident in themselves both psychologically and physically. The psychological factor plays into self-defense in a much more significant way than most people realize. Having the confidence to show your strengths and portray that sense of strength towards others who can potentially be an attacker is the main deterrent. For example, most attackers would look for someone who looks weak or vulnerable, either physically or carries themselves in a more timid fashion, and so that is the first step in deterring an attack, which is probably the most effective way of protecting yourself. And at a point and time when you need to use the physical techniques having learned self-defense from a proper instructor would allow you to safely and effectively protect yourself. Once you gain confidence in yourself and being more comfortable presenting yourself out in the world makes you stronger in a sense (fake it till you make it) In the beginning you may not feel confident in that aspect of safety, but the more you learn about self-defense, if a situation arises then you will become that person.