This Women’s History Month, the women of the West Calcasieu Chamber of Commerce celebrated with shrimp alfredo and safety tips.

The chamber hosted the 2025 Empowering Women’s Luncheon on Friday at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Sulphur.

The dozens of women who attended were treated to a lunch filled with discussion on daily safety methods for women, door prizes, and Dolly Parton serenades (courtesy of Chamber Chairman Jody Tyler). The theme? “Sisters, safety and shenanigans.”

Tyler said the luncheon’s purpose was to cultivate a moment for women to share knowledge, uplift one another, and break bread together.

“Today is about us women. Today is about lifting us up.”

The keynote speaker was Carla Perkins, a taekwondo instructor and a six-degree black belt. She spoke on practical methods women can integrate into their daily lives to stay safe.

She might now work as the office manager at Hope Christian School but she used to own Karate for Kids. Perkins knows first-hand the time and effort it takes to learn how to defend and fight. So when she attended a women’s self-defense workshop with her friend, she realized a class where women are taught several formulaic self-defense moves in just a couple of hours was not enough.

“There had been so much stuff coming at us. I couldn’t remember most of it. I thought, this isn’t working,” she recalled. “Unfortunately, there were 80 women in that room that felt like now they knew what to do.”

For physical self-defense to make a life-saving difference, the skill has to be practiced, she said. And many women do not have the time or resources to prioritize this practice. Instead, she discussed mental self-defense tactics that keep the brain at the ready.

“I really feel like we can have the upper hand if we use our brain and not try to use our brawn,” she explained. “Women are smart. We let men think they going it going on, but we all know how it really works.”

While there are exceptions, men are usually “predators,” and women are usually “prey,” she said. The tips Perkins offered can all be practiced in what she considers the most common “hunting ground” – the parking lot.

“That’s where we see it. They might follow you around Target, but it’s the parking lot where you’re fixing to be in trouble.”

The first preemptive step is to take a few seconds to scan the surrounding individuals to assess their appearance. This step allows one to memorize a person’s description if the situation arises. To do this, one also has to stay alert. To stay alert, one has to avoid distractions. Perkins urged women to stay off their phones when walking in public places.

“Just don’t. … Unless you’re on the phone with somebody that can come to your rescue … get off the phone.”

She also recommended locking car doors while not in use, especially when loading a vehicle.

In her experience, women can stop dangerous men in their tracks by making themselves large, confident and assertive (and maybe a threat). Women can deter potential threats by intimidating them.

She recalled a time she witnessed a man watching women as they entered a grocery store. Several women became visibly uncomfortable and turned away when they recognized what was occurring. Perkins took a different route.

She made direct eye contact with him as she walked into the store. He shied away and was gone by the time she left. This is a tactic she lovingly titled “The B – – – – Switch.”

“I dealt with him in a completely different way. Right at him. Eye to eye. … They don’t want to be seen.”

If ever in a situation that requires physical contact, she suggests to “claw that face.” It is a self-defense tactic that doesn’t require practice; It injures an attacker, marks them with visible cuts, gathers DNA and buys victims seconds during a dire situation.

“I’m not telling you that that will save your life, but I’m telling you it will slow the down.”

Leveraging the strength of the elbow is also a good tip, she added.