Building a Safer Future: Mindy Lin’s Journey with Damsel in Defense

Mindy Lin, the founder of Damsel in Defense, believes that personal safety is something every woman deserves. Her company was born out of a desire to give women easy access to self-defense tools that are not only effective but also stylish. Lin’s passion for safety started with her own experiences growing up.

Damsel in Defense began with small gatherings in living rooms and quickly grew into a nationwide movement. Lin knew that women needed more than just products — they needed the confidence to use them. These gatherings gave women a chance to buy self-defense tools while also learning how to use them in a supportive environment. Reflecting on those early days, Lin shares, “We started selling the products out of living rooms and then progressed to larger events like Christmas shows and runner’s events. Every event I attended, there was always at least one woman that would approach and share her story and thank us for offering what we were to spur me forward in this new mission.”

Today, Damsel in Defense has over 30,000 women involved in spreading the message of empowerment and safety. What makes Damsel in Defense different is its focus on combining safety with style. Lin explains, “We start first with what are effective and necessary safety features for our various devices, and then we mold it into what is both functional and fashionable.” Her commitment to quality is evident — Lin personally tests each stun device, and her husband helps test their pepper sprays. “I personally stun myself with every new stun device we carry, and my wonderful husband has subjected himself to the pepper spray twice. Once at adoption and the second time when we made a formulation change. Quality assurance is very important to us.”

Education is a key part of Damsel in Defense’s mission. Lin emphasizes, “Our mission is to Equip, Empower and EDUCATE. While our products are absolutely user-friendly, they are useless in the bottom of someone’s purse if they don’t understand the foundational components of personal protection, like being aware of your surroundings and how to make yourself a hard target.” The company offers regular training on personal safety topics, from domestic violence awareness to campus safety, ensuring customers have the knowledge they need to stay safe.

One of the company’s most innovative features is Shield Technology, which allows users to send emergency alerts to pre-set contacts, adding an extra layer of protection. Lin explains, “We developed Shield Technology, which allows you to preset 5 contacts to your device so that if the customer deploys their linked protection, it alerts those contacts to their emergency and continues to send their location until help can arrive.”

Beyond personal safety, Damsel in Defense is committed to helping young girls who have escaped sex trafficking. The company funds two international rescue homes, providing survivors with counseling, job training, and other resources to rebuild their lives. Lin reflects on the company’s broader impact, sharing, “To this day, over 1,500 girls have been rescued and given hope and a future free of selling their bodies. That is a very, very rewarding number of singular starfishes across the ocean.”

Looking ahead, Lin’s vision for Damsel in Defense is clear. “My lifelong goal is to leave this world safer than I found it. My immediate goal is to make Damsel in Defense a household name. To establish ourselves in the market so that when a parent is sending their daughter off to college, we are their first thought when it comes to her safety.” She also sees the company leading conversations about personal protection in new ways. “Damsel in Defense was created in a time prior to the Me Too movement. A lot of good has come from that, but there is still so much work to be done in how we have these important conversations that are relevant to our mission.”

Mindy Lin’s journey as an entrepreneur has not been without its challenges. From addressing misconceptions about the need for non-lethal self-defense tools to overcoming objections, Lin has persevered through it all. “It’s very frustrating to hear people say, ‘She doesn’t need that, she has me,’ or ‘I don’t need that, I carry a gun.’ A very large part of what we do is educating people on not only how to use our products but why. Most people are alone at some point in their day, and not every situation calls for lethal means of defense.”

Damsel in Defense’s impact extends beyond its products, touching the lives of its customers and community members. Lin shares a powerful story: “I just had a returning customer come to thank me. Last month he purchased a stun device for his daughter. He said a week after he gave it to her, she had to use it when a man tried to attack her. She stunned him and law enforcement was contacted. The officer was very impressed and said she’s going to look into our products for her family. I love what we do!”

Through her leadership, innovation, and unwavering commitment to empowerment, Mindy Lin is not just building a company — she’s building a safer future for women everywhere.