Empowering Women Through Awareness Nikki and Mary Kolasinski on the Mission Behind Keeping Our Girls Safe

Sometimes the most meaningful missions are born from unimaginable loss. In this episode of Women in the Driver Seat, Mary Ellen Taylor sits down with Nikki and Mary Kolasinski, the mother daughter team behind Keeping Our Girls Safe (KOGS), to share how a heartbreaking tragedy became a movement focused on education, empowerment, and helping women protect themselves with confidence.

Keeping Our Girls Safe was founded in memory of Sierah "Ce" Joughin, whose abduction and murder in 2016 forever changed the lives of her family and the Northwest Ohio community.

Sierah had been Nikki's younger brother's longtime girlfriend, and after her passing, the family searched for a way to channel their grief into something that could make a lasting difference. What began as a motorcycle ride to honor Sierah quickly grew into something much bigger. From the beginning, the vision was clear: use the proceeds to provide self defense training for women in the community.

Today, that vision has evolved into an organization that has partnered with local law enforcement to provide free personal safety and self defense classes, reaching more than 3,500 women across Northwest Ohio. But as Nikki and Mary explain, the mission extends far beyond teaching physical techniques.

For them, empowerment means helping women live with confidence rather than fear.

Whether it is learning practical self defense skills, developing situational awareness, or simply walking with confidence, the goal is to remind every participant that they are stronger and more capable than they may realize. Instructors often encourage participants to "find your why," the person, purpose, or dream worth fighting to get home to. That simple exercise becomes a powerful reminder that every woman has something worth protecting.

One of the most inspiring parts of the conversation is hearing how women transform throughout each class.

Many participants arrive feeling uncertain, quiet, or nervous. By the end of the session, they are standing taller, speaking with confidence, encouraging one another, and discovering strengths they did not know they had. Those moments remind Nikki and Mary that empowerment is not something given to someone. It is something already inside them waiting to be discovered.

The conversation also challenges one of the biggest misconceptions about personal safety.

As Nikki explains, many people believe dangerous situations happen only to someone else or only under certain circumstances. Sierah's story proved otherwise. She was close to home, doing something familiar, when tragedy struck. That reality reinforces one of the most important lessons taught during KOGS classes: it can happen anywhere, and situational awareness can often make the difference.

Mary shares one example that continues to resonate with participants. A woman who had attended multiple KOGS self defense classes noticed suspicious behavior while walking through a downtown parking garage. Trusting her instincts, maintaining awareness, and confidently moving toward her vehicle likely kept her from becoming a victim. She later learned another woman had been attacked in that same area shortly afterward. Stories like these reinforce why KOGS places such a strong emphasis on awareness, explaining that it provides one of the greatest forms of personal protection.

Building KOGS together has also strengthened Nikki and Mary's relationship.

While Nikki brings experience from the corporate world in building and managing organizations, Mary contributes decades of community involvement and nonprofit advocacy.

Together, their different perspectives have helped the organization grow while staying true to its mission of serving women with compassion, purpose, and practical education.

When asked what message they hope every woman and girl carries with her, their answers are both simple and powerful.

Nikki encourages women to lean into their confidence, discover their purpose, and never apologize for their strength.

Mary reminds every girl that she is capable. Capable of overcoming fear. Capable of achieving her goals. Capable of protecting herself. Capable of doing extraordinary things.

Their conversation is a powerful reminder that while tragedy may inspire a mission, hope, education, and community are what allow that mission to change lives.

👉 Watch now to hear how Nikki and Mary Kolasinski are empowering women across Northwest Ohio through confidence, awareness, and the life changing work of Keeping Our Girls Safe.