about us
Why FLAG Academy exists
South Africa is a country of strength, beauty, and resilience. It is also a place where many people live with an underlying sense of risk and fear.
Hijackings, harassment, bullying, gender-based violence, and toxic workplaces are not rare events. They shape the daily lives of too many people. We saw the impact: people hesitate, stay silent, and carry fear into places where they should feel safe.
FLAG Academy exists because safety cannot be an afterthought.
We started this work because people were expected to cope without being given the tools to recognise danger, set boundaries, or respond under pressure. What began as a self-defence programme grew into something broader.
Today, FLAG Academy delivers practical safety training across physical, emotional, and psychological contexts:
Self-defense training for individuals, schools, and organisations, focused on awareness, prevention, and effective action when needed.
High-performance leadership training that helps organisations create the conditions for clear thinking, accountability, and performance under pressure.
Anti-bullying workshops for students and educators, grounded in boundaries, power dynamics, and early intervention.
Gender-based violence prevention with our Be Your Own Hero program, focused on awareness, agency, and early disruption of harm
Across all our work, the goal is the same: help people recognise risk earlier, respond more effectively, and create environments where fear does not dictate behaviour.
When people feel safer, they think more clearly, communicate more honestly, and engage more fully. That applies in boardrooms, classrooms, and everyday life.
Meet the Experts Behind FLAG Academy
Christine Eriksen
Christine brings deep experience in physical safety, emergency response, and working with people under pressure.
She has over 18 years of experience teaching Goju Ryu Karate and a strong background in healthcare, first response, trauma debriefing, and nervous system regulation. Her work is informed by real-world exposure to crisis situations and a clear understanding of how people behave when fear and stress are present.
Christine is a 4th Dan black belt in Goju Ryu Karate. She is a registered nurse (SANC certified), a qualified first responder with START Rescue, and a trained trauma debriefer supporting individuals after critical incidents.
Her additional training in hypnotherapy informs how she works with fear, stress responses, and emotional regulation, particularly in contexts involving personal safety and bullying.
She began karate at the age of 42 while managing chronic asthma. What started as a practical step toward health and resilience became a long-term discipline. Within two years, she earned her black belt and went on to compete internationally, winning multiple gold medals, including at the World Goju Ryu Championships in New Zealand. That journey shapes how she teaches: realistic, accessible, and focused on what works under pressure rather than ideal conditions.
Christine’s approach is calm, direct, and grounded in real-world application.
Ann du Plessis
Ann works at the intersection of leadership, human behaviour, and safety under pressure.
She specialises in helping leaders and teams understand how stress, perceived threat, and uncertainty affect communication, decision-making, and accountability at work. Her focus is on practical systems that reduce friction, surface issues earlier, and support consistent performance.
Ann is a black belt in Goju Ryu Karate and a trained trauma debriefer with experience working in high-stress and high-risk environments. She brings a grounded understanding of how people respond when stakes are high — whether in the boardroom, during conflict, or in situations involving personal safety.
She is also a survivor of sexual assault, bullying, and workplace harassment. That lived experience shapes her work as a professional lens. It informs how she approaches self-defence, gender-based violence prevention, and leadership under pressure — with clarity about what fear actually does to the body, judgment, and behaviour.
Combined with her training in trauma-informed coaching, stress management, and post-incident debriefing, Ann helps individuals and organisations:
- Recognise early warning signs before situations escalate
- Reduce fear-driven conflict, avoidance, and silence
- Stabilise teams after periods of pressure or disruption
- Create conditions where people can think clearly and act decisively
Her work is practical, direct, and behaviour-focused. The goal is safer systems — in workplaces, schools, and real-world environments — where people respond effectively when it matters most.
Imagine a world where fear doesn’t win. That’s the world we’re building – one school, one workplace, one person at a time