Gulshen Bano talks Women’s Safety, Dragons’ Den & Strike Back

Gulshen Bano is transforming the way women approach safety with Strike Back Self-Defence, a women-led organisation teaching practical skills, awareness, and prevention.

What began as a grassroots organisation in the West Midlands has grown into an international enterprise, operating across seven countries with 15 franchises and 35 instructors.

Strike Back’s programmes focus on real-world situations, from street harassment to travelling alone at night, helping women and girls build confidence and learn how to respond if personal safety is threatened.

Gulshen’s appearance on Dragons’ Den brought national attention to her mission, giving her a platform to argue that women’s safety is a societal responsibility, not something women must manage alone.

With education, prevention, and empowerment at its core, Strike Back is expanding its reach while challenging long-standing assumptions about safety.

Gulshen Bano chats to DESIblitz about her work around women’s safety and her time on Dragons’ Den.

From Lived Experience to Mission

Gulshen Bano’s journey into self-defence began in the most personal of ways.

She says: “Strike Back was born from lived experience.”

While working as a pharmacist, Gulshen faced intimidation, abuse, and even physical attacks.

As a petite woman, she knew exactly what it felt like to feel vulnerable and unsupported. Learning self-defence for herself soon became a gateway for others.

Gulshen says: “Other women began opening up to me. They shared their fears, their trauma, and their stories.

“They weren’t looking to become fighters; they wanted to feel safe, and they wanted to learn in an environment free from judgment and intimidation.”

It was a realisation that struck a chord: women needed training designed by women, for women, rooted in real life.

Cultural, religious, and trauma-informed considerations were largely absent in traditional self-defence spaces.

Gulshen’s response was to create more than a training programme; it became a mission.

Strike Back exists not just to teach moves, but to give women spaces where safety, autonomy, and empowerment are prioritised.

Building Confidence Beyond Physical Skills

For Gulshen Bano, self-defence is inseparable from confidence.

She states: “Confidence doesn’t come from learning just physical moves, it comes from feeling capable, heard, and prepared.”

Strike Back’s approach is holistic: simple, realistic skills are combined with safe women-only environments, validation of lived experiences, and training women to trust their instincts.

Gulshen notes: “When a woman realises, ‘I can handle myself. I don’t have to stay silent. I know what to do’, everything changes.”

That empowerment doesn’t stop at physical ability; it reverberates across all areas of life. In workplaces, relationships, and communities, the confidence built through self-defence training gives women a voice and agency they may have never had before.

Central to Strike Back’s ethos is prevention. Physical confrontation is a last resort, as Gulshen says:

“Most dangerous situations can be avoided or reduced before they become physical.”

Awareness, boundary-setting, risk recognition, de-escalation, and assertive communication are prioritised to ensure women can prevent harm before it escalates.

“We teach women how to spot red flags early and trust themselves enough to act on them, because the safest fight is the one you never have to have.”

Societal Responsibility

Strike Back also recognises the importance of context.

Gulshen says: “Every culture has different norms, risks, and barriers.”

Instructors are trained to respect women’s clothing, religious beliefs, and personal choices, understanding that these factors often intersect with the risks women face.

Programmes are adapted based on cultural expectations, family structures, gender roles, and community dynamics, but the core principle remains universal: every woman deserves safety, confidence, and choice.

The rise in demand for women’s safety training reflects a broader societal shift. More women are speaking out and rejecting the idea that fear is “normal”.

Strike Back Self-Defence has seen sharp increases in class enrolments, instructor applications, and requests from corporates and schools.

Gulshen stresses that safety is not just an individual responsibility:

“It’s a societal responsibility; from education, to workplaces, to communities, to policymakers, we all have a role to play.”

Education is prevention, she adds, encompassing consent, boundaries, respect, power dynamics, and healthy relationships.

Teaching people how to prevent violence is as critical as teaching how to respond to it.

Taking Strike Back to Dragons’ Den

Gulshen Bano took Strike Back to BBC’s Dragons’ Den and pitching to the Dragons was both intimidating and transformative.

She recalls: “For me, the biggest challenge was believing that my story and women’s safety belonged in that room.”

Presenting trauma and lived experience to powerful investors required staying grounded, authentic, and unapologetic.

The episode aired on January 29, 2026, and Gulshen secured £25,000 investment from Jenna Meek. Speaking about Strike Back on Dragons’ Den amplified Gulshen’s wider message:

“Millions heard women’s stories. Millions saw prevention-based self-defence. Millions understood why this matters.”

The exposure highlighted prevention as a vital aspect of safety.

Gulshen’s experience on Dragons’ Den also reshaped her perspective on business.

She learned that purpose and profit can coexist: values don’t need to be diluted to scale, and emotional authenticity is a form of leadership.

That visibility accelerated Strike Back’s ambitions.

Gulshen is now focused on global expansion, instructor development, digital platforms, school programmes, corporate partnerships, and scalable prevention models.

She adds: “The goal is simple: every major city will have a trained female Strike Back Instructor and we will change the stats on violence against women – one city and one woman at a time.”

Gulshen Bano’s Dragons’ Den appearance was a turning point for Strike Back, securing investment and a national platform for her mission.

Her work highlights that women’s safety cannot be treated as an individual burden but requires education, prevention, and community-led action.

Through her organisation, women and girls gain practical skills, confidence, and awareness, while society is encouraged to share responsibility for creating safer spaces.

By combining real-world training with advocacy, Gulshen continues to expand Strike Back Self-Defence’s reach internationally, demonstrating that safety and empowerment are achievable when purpose and business come together.