A Chat With Jessica from Bond Girl Bootcamp

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Natalie in Interviews, Natalie's Blog, Self Defense

I’ve been honored to interview some of the most interesting, innovative and successful women in the firearms industry. Each interview is an honor and I’ve gained so much more than I could ever say from each one of these incredible ladies. This interview, however, has had a more significant impact on me than I ever could have imagined. You’ll soon find out why. Please note, Jessica’s incredible story involves an extremely difficult experience that may disturb some readers.

 

Natalie Foster: Tell me about Bond Girl Bootcamp in your own words.

Jessica Ross: OK – First, though, I want to say thank you for having me on before we start. Bond Girl Bootcamp right now is  a one- to two-day experience where we take women out and let them really become their inner badass or heroine. Whether that’s Angelina Jolie or whomever they want to be. Through that we do different experiences like stunt car driving, shooting, sky diving, flying helicopters. We have a multitude of different activities on different days that the women sign up for and we lead them through all these different kinds of extreme sports. For us it’s not just about the activities, it’s about the confidence building for women and giving them a chance to do something they normally don’t do. I mean, I think most of us don’t fly helicopters for a living or jump out of airplanes regularly, so for some women it gives them a taste of something they’ve always wanted to do and something they never thought they’d do. It helps them really push themselves to the next level.

NF: What does your typical student look like? Are they all shapes and sizes and ages and races or do you have a “type”?

JR: There’s definitely no type, just like any girl, they come in all shapes and sizes and various ages. From 18 to 55, I believe is the oldest we’ve had so far. It’s so interesting because I think regardless of what age you are we all want to feel empowered and incredible so I don’t really think age is a factor in it. We definitely take all shapes and sizes.

NF: When we had coffee the other day you mentioned that you’ve had some celebrity clients. Do they do this because it’s fun or because it is a necessity? I’m thinking that there are some real world scenarios, probably, especially given your situation, which we’ll talk about in a minute, that arise that Bond Girl Bootcamp would be really useful for. How does that all come together for your celebrity clients?

JR: Well, I think, first of all, that what separates Bond Girl Bootcamp from some of the other camps is that we use real trainers, for lack of a better word. All of our people are hand selected – whether it’s FBI, Secret Service, INS, British Secret Service, they are the top people. And chances are, if you’re a celebrity, you’re gonna be guarded by some of these people anyway. But having some type of knowledge just for yourself is huge. And I feel like a lot of the celebrity women that come through – they do it for themselves because at the end of the day they are regular women. They all eat, go to bed, get up in the morning same as the rest of us do, they just happen to have a camera on them more often than others. So they do it more for their own confidence building or issues they are dealing with themselves. It usually has nothing to do with self defense for them in terms of who they are other than, you know, they are a basic, everyday person.

NF: So let’s talk a little bit about you. After reading your bio on the website I am astounded! You have the craziest, most interesting background – and I know a lot of interesting people, so that’s saying something. Tell me about your background. Where do you come from?

JR: I was born in California and my parents kind of moved all over the place. New York for a bit, then Seattle, and I lived in Europe for a while. I tried the traditional schooling route but I ended up having children very early and that required me to kind of get creative early with schooling and my job. I always had a propensity for the arts. I did a lot of theater growing up and then eventually made my way into fire spinning, believe it or not, so I was a fire spinner for  quite a long time. I was lucky enough to do various music videos, shows and whatnot. That kind of migrated into circus work which led to aerial silks. I don’t do that quite as often as I used to, but that’s the time when everything kind of migrated in terms of my creativity and not going the normal path that I had set out on, or I guess my parents thought I had set out on, when I was younger.

NF: What are some of your memorable experiences in the circus or in shows that were really formative for you?

JR: All of them, especially when you’re doing aerial silks (for those readers who don’t know, aerial silks are the the two simple silks that hang down – you’ll often see women or men caught up in them kind of twisting around.) It’s very popular in Cirque de Soleil. There’s no net or mat underneath you. At all. So you’re going up there maybe 20, 30 feet up – maybe higher. Every time you’re going up there’s a possibility you’re coming down without any support. So you’re really forced to be precise and there’s a level of trust in yourself and your ability that really translates to my life personally  – in trusting myself throughout my daily activities. I think that’s probably one of the biggest lessons I learned from those types of experiences in my life. And the same thing goes for fire too, I mean that a whole other element that you’re dealing with that has it’s own personality, so definitely being aware of your surroundings when you’re dealing with that is imperative.

NF: Yeah, I bet the fire stuff really eliminated your fear of anything dangerous. (laughs)

JR: Yeah, I’ve always had the propensity for pushing the limit in terms of that. My dad used to tell me when I was little, “You can’t make it easy. You always have to take the hard road or do the most challenging or most difficult thing.” And that seems to have been that way throughout my life for whatever lessons I need to learn.

NF: Now, getting in to the background of Bond Girl Bootcamp, we talked the other day about your situation and what you went through. I’m hesitant, a bit, to make you talk about it and relive it, but when we discussed it you really did sound like you’re in a good place and you’ve done some positive things because of your situation. So I think more than anything it is important for women to be aware and to know what the realities are. That what happened to you is actually going on still. So if you don’t mind talking a little bit about that, I’d appreciate it and we’d all benefit from it.

note: graphic content

JR: Yeah, absolutely. I don’t have a problem sharing. I think it’s interesting, when you share stories of life you realize how many other people have gone through maybe not the exact same scenario but one just as traumatic scenario, and how that bonds you together. So basically how Bond Girl kind of formed in my brain – about four years ago I went through a kidnapping and rape situation. I was taken for 24 hours, obviously sexually abused and pretty cut up, for lack of a better word. My chest was… there was no chest left to speak of on my body. I was basically left on the side of the road for dead. I was lucky enough to have been found by two local people who brought me to the authorities and were able to proceed from there – get me medical treatment and begin the proceedings for the people who took me. Luckily, at this point they have been caught. It was a ring of people who specialize in taking women and selling them in to sexual slavery overseas. When this was going on I guess I’d always figured that sexual slavery was something that occurred overseas – like it didn’t happen in here. I mean, I knew to a degree that maybe it kinda happened here. I had that idea in my head, but it was so real at that point – that was something that was a huge shock for me.  That it’s something that’s happening in our own back yard.  So based on that I found myself thrown in to this whole other world, you know, of being protected while the court case was going on and being surrounded by various FBI and Secret Service and people who basically became my network and my family very very quickly because it was forced to be that way – it was out of necessity at that point. And that’s really how Bond Girl evolved for me.  Here I was having access to all this amazing self defense and protection. It would be awesome to be able to have women to at least have a taste of it to be exposed to what it’s really like to have a gun in your hand – to learn what it’s like to get out of a choke hold or whatnot. There are a lot of different places around that offer types of classes like this but not to the degree Bond Girl does. We don’t coddle anyone. And the majority of us, God willing, are not gonna be in a situation like I was. I’m not preparing anyone to  be kidnapped or raped but I know, especially as a mom, I sleep better at night knowing I can put up a good fight and defend my daughter if push comes to shove. I can’t say I would have had that without these types of training and background. So my intention with Bond Girl was to bring a little taste of that to women in a day long experience.

NF: So for the readers, where did all of this occur?

JR: I was out in Hawaii.

NF: And were you returning back? Were you on vacation out there?

JR: I was actually going to do a show out there.

NF: You were just at the airport, right?

JR: Yeah, I was taken from a car at the airport.

NF: I’m heartbroken that you have had to go through that, but at the same time you have done such amazing work because of it. I’m so excited, too, because I get to go on my first mission soon and I can’t wait to see what this is all about. You’ve done such great work and I’m just amazed by it. So what made you get through the incident? What made you fight? Is that kind of a blur for you?

JR: Honestly, there was just kind of a point that I succumbed to the fact that I was going to die. And when that kicks in it’s really interesting because you just kind of let go of everything else and you realize you’re not going home. “This is it. I’m not going to see my son or my daughter again.” You know, I can’t think of one particular thing that made me fight. I mean, my family was obviously my number one – I wanted to be with them more than anything in the world but I really didn’t think that that was even a possibility at that point. I just- it was really beyond my comprehension. All I knew was that I was going to keep breathing and whatever happened I was going to just keep breathing until I wasn’t breathing anymore.

NF: That’s a good window into your mentality at the time. Because, you know, we don’t know how we would react until it happens.  There’s no way to prepare, of course, but it’s interesting to hear what was going through your mind during that time. You touched a little bit on this, but elaborate a bit on why you wanted to turn your traumatic experience in to something positive for other women.

JR: You know, I didn’t feel like this was my purpose in life – there wasn’t an “aha” moment, so to speak.  I was just thinking, you know, “OK, you can either sit there and (excuse my language) wallow in a pile of shit…”  You know, there’s a healing process, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t jump off the plane feeling fine. I went through some intense therapy.  But there came a point in my life where I was just like, “You know, I’m done being the victim of this.” I wasn’t ready to be raped again in my mind on a daily basis. Enough was enough. And so I said, “Ok, I have been given this opportunity to have met all these incredible people. How can we benefit? How can my family benefit from this experience? What would I want my daughter to learn from this? What can she gain from what I went through?”  I said, “I wish I had been more prepared. I wish I had done this or that. I wish I had had a taste to be more aware.” And it really came from a genuine desire to help in whatever way I could and to take what I had gone through and, like you said, turn it in to something positive. It just came out from a genuine need of wanting to help other women like me. I’m a big fan of our sex. I’m a big fan of us girls. (laughs)

NF: (laughs) Yeah, I can tell. And that’s good. I feel like we need more girls standing up for each other. And that’s what you’re doing. OK, so let’s talk more about the Bootcamp itself. What are your favorite missions? You’ve got a lot of them. Can you talk a little bit about that?

JR: My favorite things to do – we have this amazing Krav Maga teacher. And she’s female. I absolutely adore her. You know, even before the kidnapping happened I had taken a couple of Krav Maga classes and it wasn’t until I trained with her- she was the first woman that ever threw me on the ground, got on top of me and said, ” Now get out.”  And at first it was very traumatic but I realized I didn’t know how to get out. And obviously I didn’t know how to get out during my kidnapping situation. But she said, “Get out.” And I had no idea how to get out. Sure, you can kick them in the groin, poke them in the eyes… maybe. Maybe that will work. But she gave me a sure fire way, given my weight and size, to get out. And that, for me, was just huge. Krav Maga is probably one of my favorites. For those who don’t know, it’s an Israeli fighting technique. You’re not trained to get away. You’re trained to kill. If someone is coming at you, they are trying to hurt or kill you and that is what you are going for.  You’re not just defending yourself and running for your car. If they’re coming after you, you’re taking them down. That’s it. End of story. And then I think my other favorite activity, which I’m sure you’ll agree with, is shooting. I do love the different scenarios we have set up for shooting. It’s not just standing shooting at a target. We actually run around shooting different scenarios, whether it’s shooting in a house built specifically for us or cars – there are a bunch of different tactical shooting scenarios that we go through. I think those are two of my favorites that I never ever can get enough of.

NF: Can you list some of the other things that you guys do? You talked about stunt driving…

JR: Yeah, we do stunt car driving for a full day. We go down to Irvine, CA in a private area and just wreck a bunch of cars. It’s ridiculous. (laughs) Not because we want to, but normally most of us don’t learn how to get up on two wheels and the process that it takes to do that… it’s so much fun, but we do wreck a few cars. We also do helicopter flying – there was a really great moment in one of our missions when we were flying in a helicopter with no doors on it over Hollywood and this one woman just started bawling. She had always had a fear of flying and here she was flying over these magnificent valleys, wind literally rushing through this helicopter and she just had this complete sense of being overwhelmed – just overcoming something that had bothered her since childhood. So we do helicopters and skydiving, pole dancing, tango, fencing… there’s really no limit. And we’re constantly bringing in new activities based on demand. And as I meet different people in this network, I’m always getting offers. It’s really a generous community when they find out what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, more importantly. So I’m pretty lucky.

NF: I want to do all of the missions. Especially the stunt driving. Of course, as you know, shooting is my number one choice, but the stunt driving and the helicopter flying and the skydiving – it just sounds so thrilling and empowering and, like you said, like the woman who had a fear of flying. I think it really does change people for the better. It helps people overcome their fears. What do students find the most fun and then the most challenging?

JR: The most difficult thing that the women encounter on the missions has nothing to do with the trainer or specifically the missions themselves. It’s them. It’s their own fear. That is literally the most difficult thing. Or their confidence. You’ll see the most incredible women who don’t have a problem jumping out of a plane, shooting an AK, you know, driving a stunt car and doing a 360, but you get them near a dance pole, for example. Regardless of your feeling about a stripper pole, when you get them near a pole where they have to embrace their sexuality or even their femininity a little bit, a wall comes up. A tense fear comes up and it’s really a challenge for them.  I think the hardest part of the missions is what each woman brings that they want to work through. You never know what activity is gonna set it off because issues vary so much from woman to woman. I know for me for a long time it was confidence in the way I looked.  I think that’s common with a lot of women. It’s obviously physically taxing, too. By the end of the day, women are pooped and so am I. I mean, you’re just exhausted, but in a good way.  Everyone comes out either laughing or smiling. They always say it’s one of the best things they’ve done in their entire life. They’re exhausted, tired, maybe bruised and dirty, but they are so joyful. It’s pretty incredible.  In terms of the most fun, that really varies form woman to woman. Some women love one activity more than the other, but overall I think it’s the camaraderie that happens during those moments. Whether it’s someone that just blasted a target down from 50 feet away or something else – everyone’s cheering and excited. Or if there’s one woman who just won’t jump out of the airplane and she finally does and when she hits the ground everyone is screaming and clapping around here like they’ve known her for years or they’re her sister. Those are probably the most fun experiences that people write to me about after. Because I mean, really it comes down to the memories. That’s what happens, right? When we’re old we just remember those moments. So I think those are probably the most fun and challenging parts about Bond Girl.

NF: What about for you? What would you say are the most challenging and fun aspects of putting it all together and making it all happen.

JR: The most challenging part is, “What do we do?” We have so many amazing activities, which one do I pick? What do we want to do? I love the execution of it. I love watching the girls go through the activities. That’s an extremely fun part for me.  I don’t like dealing with the business side of it so much, but I like the process of watching people go through it.  That’s why I do it. That’s why it was started- to give that experience to women. So I would say the most challenging thing for me is deciding the activities and handling the business side of it and the most fun is just being out there on the field and seeing it all happen.

NF: I think a lot of people can relate. I certainly understand hating the business part of it and just wanting to focus on the fun stuff. So what is the most common reaction from students that you’ve observed?

JR: “Oh my God, I didn’t think I could do that!” That one. “I can’t believe I just did that.” It’s almost like that feeling you had when you were 6 or 7 and jumping up and down squealing at Christmas or Hanukkah. It’s so interesting how we all revert back to how we were when we were little girls. Like, “I can do it, I really can! Look, Mom, I did it!” We’re almost kind of telling ourselves that. I’ve never had anyone at the end of the mission say, “I was so bored. That was just horrible.” I’ve never had that happen. I’ve had a couple of women say, “I didn’t expect to get this dirty.” Because we don’t train in glamorous facilities. You’re not gonna have mirrored walls and padded floors because if someone’s running you down, chances are you’re not gonna be in a padded room. You’re gonna be on concrete or grass, so that’s where we do it. So I’d say those are probably the typical reactions.

NF: When did you start Bond Girl Bootcamp?

JR: It was all put together about a year ago. It’s taken flight in its true form for only about 6 months. So it’s a fairly new company in terms of actually working as a functioning unit.

NF: So what are the physical requirements of going through a mission? Do I need to be in good shape and work out pretty hard before hand?

JR: Obviously, it is physically strenuous. You don’t need to have gone through Ironman or anything like that. We always ask everyone before they sign up if they have any injuries or anything we should know about. Can we tailor certain things to your needs? Regardless of your physical condition, we want to make sure you have the best experience possible. If we have a person in a wheelchair who wants to shoot, we will accommodate that to make sure that every woman can do it. In terms of working out, you just have to be in a healthy place for yourself when you do anything physical. It would be like going to a dance or Yoga class. Just be aware of your own body and listen to yourself. You’re gonna know that better than we will.

NF: Can you walk me through a mission? All I know is that we have a pick up point… it’s so very Bond.

JR: And I’m hesitant to say too much because that’s part of the fun of it. I don’t want to give anything away. We do transport everybody from destination to destination. We tell you a general area, but you don’t know for sure until two days before.  We don’t tell you who the trainers are until the day of. You know, when you sign up for a mission, what you’re doing. You really are going off a little bit of mystery, which we like to keep. And it is, like you said, Bond-ish.

NF: I noticed on your facebook page that you’ve recently interviewed some really interesting chicks. Can you talk a little bit about that?

JR: Yeah, I always like to keep up with what women are doing when they are breaking barriers now. Whether it’s in extreme sports, anything Bond-related, or even just in business itself because it is an accomplishment.  I always try to reach out to these women who are breaking down these barriers and I’ve been really lucky to have interviews with top women. We’ve got a couple on the back burner that we haven’t released yet. It’s interesting, these women are really high level people in their careers and when I go and email them or call them or facebook them I’m literally  thinking, “Oh yeah, fat chance that these people are ever going to respond to me.” But when I tell them what the company is about and why it was started and what it’s mission is, I have never had anyone say no. Ever. They are so excited and they actually want to do a mission. It’s incredible. It really is a bonding thing.  All women resonate with it on some level. Whether you support guns or not, whatever. I’ve had one woman who emailed me at one point who had a very violent reaction, she said, “Guns are bad and you’re promoting violence in the world.” And the way I responded to her – I’m a very blunt person, I totally respect everyone’s opinion, you’re allowed to have an opinion, but I responded back to her with, “Tell me – if your daughter was taken, for example, and hurt in some way – would you not feel violent toward the person who did that to your daughter?” And her reaction was, “Oh my God, I would want to take a baseball bat to his head.” And I said, “That’s violent. I’m just preparing women so it doesn’t get to that point.” Everyone has different opinions on it. The bottom line is, is it a good fit for you? We have so many activities, if you don’t like shooting, we’ve got stunt car driving.  That’s why I love Bond Girl. We listen to everybody. We try to give missions that everybody can go to at some point. That they feel comfortable with with their morals or who they are.

NF: You said earlier that you are a fan of women and girls. I noticed on facebook that you donate 10% of the price of every mission to The Girl Effect. How did that come about?

JR: You know, I always have believed that every company should have the model where it gives back. I completely believe in that model that we’re all here trying to make it. You should help someone out when you’re successful. Even if it’s a little bit. I wanted an organization that’s actually actively doing something with women and I stumbled on The Girl Effect totally randomly but I loved them. They are not just an organization that just gives money. They actually fund micro loans to women who want to start legitimate businesses overseas or in third world countries and help them get a leg up. And I really would encourage anyone who doesn’t know about them to go check them out. It’s an amazing organization. So they’re the ones who I decided should be the ones to receive the 10% of every mission that we go on because they are turning dollars in to something good immediately.

NF:  That’s really incredible.  I’m still just in awe of everything you’re doing with Bond Girl Bootcamp and I want everyone to know about what you’re doing. It’s just so positive, especially considering what you’ve been through. I’m just so impressed and I want all of my readers to come out and do a really cool mission with you. Thank you so much for all you do.

 

Are you motivated yet? Check out Jessica’s website and find out about future missions on her facebook page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: bond girl bootcamp, jarrett arthur, jarrett aurthur, jessica ross, krav maga