Melville lawyer takes case for self-defense

For several years now, Lidia Szczepanowski has been talking the talk about how women can better defend themselves physically as she's delivered seminars at corporations and organizations.

Now, she hopes, women's self-defense is going to be a big business for her under the corporate name Everything Lidia Inc.

She just got the backing of a Miami-based investor who is going to provide equipment to manufacture such self-protection items as whistles, flashlights and pens with sharp edges that will be sold for about $40 as part of a self-defense kit.

The investor, Steve Berenson, executive vice president and owner of Impex Systems Group Inc., a consumer-products company, will also be shipping and branding the products.

Szczepanowski, 46, has an unusual resume: She is an attorney in Melville, holds a black belt in karate, and in 2006 won the Mrs. New York America Pageant held in Rochester. That same year she placed in the top 12 in the Mrs. America Pageant, in Tuscon, Ariz.

Earlier days were dark. She was a victim of a sexual assault when she was 13. "I didn't tell anyone for five years," before finally informing family, Szczepanowski said.

Self-defense became a mantra for her. In 2005 she started giving seminars at companies, and she is now writing a book, tentatively titled "365 Stylish Safety Tips," which will likely be offered with the kit and will also be sold separately.

"One of the best safety devices is a flashlight," Szczepanowski said. "You shine that in their eyes, and it completely blinds and gives you the opportunity to run away."

Berenson and Szczepanowski met a year and a half ago through a mutual friend. "We're going to finance the infrastructure that will allow her to provide her products," Berenson said. He said the products should be ready to ship in about 90 days. They will be available through her website, everythinglidia.com.

Besides products, the enterprise includes speaking engagements, seminars and interview coaching.

"I love what I do as a lawyer" in commercial litigation, Szczepanowski said. "But my true passion is Everything Lidia. It's a lifestyle brand I'm developing."