Women Riders’ Forum at IMSS – Psychic Protective Gear

This is the second of three articles describing the 3-series women riders forum at the International Motorcycle Supershow, January 6 – 8, 2011 at the International Centre, Mississauga. This forum takes place on January 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Vancouver Room with guests Madeleine Marques and Laura Culic.

Join in for one or all of this three-part series. Through a series of presentations and interactions, Liz and her guests, women whose stories are in the book, will share experiences and lessons learned on the Road to Empowerment. The ideas will inspire you in every day life and you’ll approach riding with a deeper understanding of yourself. You’ll meet other like-minded riders, enjoy the camaraderie and discover the strength which exists within the riding community.  

A motorcycle rider knows better than anyone about the importance of wearing good quality, proper fitting gear. It protects us from external bombardment. However, ill-fitting equipment can immobilize us and cause hazards greater than those from which it was designed to safeguard. In this engaging and interactive session based on Liz’s book Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment, we look at how in trying to protect, we may in fact be sabotaging ourselves.

Our sense of adventure beckons us along our life’s journey. We innately know this road has challenges, and although we like to think we’re in control, we don’t know what’s around the corner. How we prepare ourselves though, affects how successful we are in navigating towards our destination.

Using our motorcycle gear as a metaphor, we explore how the symbolic protective gear we wear, constrains our authenticity and disempowers us. It impedes our movement, flexibility, thought processes, ability to respond and even our voice.  We also learn how selecting the appropriate, proper fitting gear, enhances our journey along our own Road to Empowerment.

By day, Madeleine Marques is a paralegal. Her other profession is that of a Chief Instructor in the motorcycle program atSheridanCollege. Her personal experience and years of coaching students has given her a unique perspective on how we successfully manage challenges and change. 

You will come away from this session with a greater ability to recognize your defenses and use them appropriately.