Toby Israel is the founder of Choose Empowerment, and the founder and lead facilitator of Mujeres Fuertes Autodefensa (Empowered Women Self-Defense), a Costa Rican born empowerment project dedicated to bringing tools for holistic self-defense to as many people as possible. She is passionate about the potential for Empowerment (or Holistic) Self-Defense to bring healing and freedom to both individuals and communities.
She is a Level 4 Instructor and trainer of trainers through ESD Global, holds the ESDP Credential from the Association of ESD Professionals, and an MA in Peace and Media Studies from the UN-mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica. Since 2018, she has reached thousands of people across Costa Rica, Central America, and North America with self-defense retreats and workshops, weaving somatics, mindfulness, conscious communication and healing modalities with empowerment self defense training. Toby is a passionate movement artist, writer, editor, and traveler. Her first book, Vagabondess: A Guide to Solo Female Travel, was published in 2020.
