Gracie Jiu Jitsu Rocks! podcast

Justin Faiferlick, owner of Faiferlick Martial arts and Gracie Ft Dodge in Ft Dodge, IA, is a 7th degree black belt martial artist and a Gracie Jiu Jitsu blue belt. He is a career Air Force veteran, a husband, father, and grandfather. Justin is currently battling stage 4 malignant melanoma cancer. In this episode Justin discusses his military career, his martial arts journey, his family, and courageously shares his current situation and what he wants his legacy to be. Please share this episode and help increase awareness of this devastating condition. Please donate to Justin and his family at venmo @justin-faiferlick

Professor Brian Glick is BJJ black belt under John Danaher and Renzo gracie. He is a world renowned instructor and coach, and John Dananher’s longest running student. In this interview he discusses the culture shock of Moving to NYC at 17,  his introduction to Gracie Jiu Jitsu, his introduction to John Danaher at Renzo’s academy, what the the environment was like at Renzo’s academy in the early days and how he persevered through the crazy times, witnessing Jiu Jitsu’s growth, the fact we all have doubts and struggles in Jiu Jitsu and feel like giving up at times, one huge important thing that he learned from John Danaher,  why being an apprentice to a master teacher  is so beneficial, his (very interesting) thoughts on training  (how, when, how much etc) and skill acquisition, how a Master Renzo was an innovator and why he’s been able to produce so many high level successful people, a memory of Master Renzo and what makes him so special, something about him that people may not know, his instructional videos, and more…

Thomas Rozdzynski is a 3rd degree black belt, owner of the ROL academy of Jiu Jitsu, Co-Owner of the ROL Radio podcast, and creator of ROL TV. In this interview Thomas talks about the challenges of immigrating to the US as a teenager and how it developed his resiliency, the importance of doing hard things, the evolution of “fluffy Thomas”, training with Carlosin Gracie Sr, his journey through the Chicago-land Jiu Jitsu scene and how it changed over time, how starting a film company led to opening his academy, transitioning from day job to full time academy owner, the business of Jiu Jitsu and running a successful academy,   what makes a quality instructor, making sure to attract the right people to your academy (for yours and their sakes), the most effective teaching/training methods, why people quit Jiu Jitsu, what TAC Fit is and why he loves it, what inspires him and who’s had the most impact on his life, and more!

Nick Koumalatsos is a world renowned men’s coach and mentor.  He’s a husband, father, veteran advocate, former marine raider, and reconnaissance marine, founder of the Raider Project, Philanthropist, YouTuber,  host of the Always Forward podcast. He’s the founder of the Agoge program, the Modern Day Knight, the Squire program, and more. In this episode he talks about his troubled childhood and the impact of no positive masculine role models, what led him to joining the USMC and the long road (process) he went through to get in, the challenges of transitioning back to civilian life, The emotional baggage we all bring with us,  what led him to Jiu Jitsu and getting out of his comfort zone to start, and what the journey has been like for him, the biggest issues men are facing today and how men need to stand up, his coaching and mentor programs including The Agoge, Modern day Knight project, Squire program (father and son event), etc.

Master Carlos Machado is back on the show to discuss all things he’s been up to lately, his recent 60th birthday, staying balanced as he ages (including carnivore diet, red light therapy, blue blockers, mindset, etc), staying present in the moment, what it was like back in the day in Brazil training with his cousins and brothers, what Rolls, Rickson were like, Carlson’s influence, Grandmasters Carlos and Helio and their relationship - and how  their individual personalities shaped Jiu jitsu, his perspective on what the different belt level represent and what the goal should be for each level, Carlos Gracie’s motivation for developing the Gracie diet and lifestyle, Sound mechanics, the biggest lesson Jiu Jitsu has taught him, the people who inspired him the most, and what he wants his legacy to be. Don’t miss it and don’t forget to like and share!

“Imagine not needing over the counter meds to get through training sessions.“ ~Kevin Lucas

Kevin Lucas, Co-owner of New Hope Regeneration, discusses what stem cells are and what they do, the five things that have changed the course of human history, how allopathic medicine has missed the boat in the US, using Jiu Jitsu analogies to understand stem cells, how receiving stem cells stimulates regeneration and wakes up your body's own dormant stem cells, how they affect your immune system, dispelling some of the myths about regenerative cells,  the 3 leading causes of death in the US,  your stem cell bank account, PRP (platelets) are not the same as Stem cells, what makes his company New Hope Regeneration different, why “healthy mothers healthy babies” is so important with stem cells, his work in the Jiu Jitsu community and why it’s so important for Jiu Jitsu practitioners, ,his multi time world champion brother, the Mr Olympia and Subversive Combat Jiu Jitsu events, his work with veterans, Seals Future Foundation, stem cells and TRT,  his health/medical background and why he got into regenerative therapy, why having the right mindset and expectations with Stem cell therapy is important, his martial arts background and how he found Jiu Jitsu, his faith, and more!

“Helio Gracie was a general. He was a father, and instructor. He was the most amazing man I met in my life. He was the toughest man I ever met”

Master Pedro Sauer returns to discuss The Sauer Protection Institute, His 2 new non profits (teaching kids Jiu Jitsu, and computer skills, and preserving the rivers/jungles),  how simple things make a big difference, the jungle he planted, how we fight for things to come, His Anniversary and birthday, how our relationship with Jiu Jitsu changes as we age, longevity, tapping early, the benefit of cross training with other schools, why Grandmaster Helio used to call him Santa Clause, importance of an open mind, thoughts on take downs for street and sport, only doing as much as necessary in a street altercation, his take on modern competition BJJ and modern MMA, updates on his association, why respecting everyone is so important and how this affects the school environment, our lives, and our families, Giving people grace and keeping the doors open for them to return to your academy, using the notion of the skeleton in teaching Jiu Jitsu and how he came up with it, how kids live up to their labels, what he’s most happy about and proud of right now in his life…..and more

  “I’m not afraid of getting punched in the face. That’s my love language” Dan Joseph, Dan Zia Joseph is a BJJ practitioner, Army veteran, and author of Backpack to Rucksack: Insight into Leadership and Resilience by Military experts. In this interview he discusses How his buddy got him into BJJ, his navy seal friends influence on him, joining the Army at 32 years old, training at Dean Lister and Jocko’s academy, how BJJ philosophy Carries over to the rest of life. Battling anxiety, what Jiu Jitsu taught him about himself and how it forced him to deal with past trauma, how training blindfolded developed his game, the staggering impact of veteran suicide, his friend Eric’s impact on his JJ during the pandemic, facing the “boogie man” of  fear, having your stress “beat” out of you by people you trust, why there are no bad positions in Jiu Jitsu, being there for and listening to veterans, why he wrote the book, deferent types of leaders and how they affect their people, his mentors’ impact on him, the importance of resilience, the concept of the ruck sack, and more! Listen on all major podcast platforms or at GracieJiuJitsuRocks.com.

An “Active attempt to be humbly aware of how limited my knowledge is” lets me be a student in the truest sense.  ~Chris Haueter

Chris Haueter is a  6th degree Black belt, member of the dirty dozen and founder of Combat Base. He is an insightful and skilled teacher as well as a gifted artist.  In this interview he discusses Reassessing your game as you get older, what the slogan Think street, Train Sport, Practice Art means,kKeeping an open mind and maturing in your attitude and perspective, being an amateur scientist, artist, and historian, staying humble, the Hegelian dialect mode, being conditioned how to age, Importance of free speech (and what it means), knowledge vs disinformation, scientific method and inquiry, the dunning kruger effect, the theory of 3s, environment vs will, how the rules of a competition influence how an art is practiced/performed, how GI and No Gi compliment each other, his love for cultural anthropology, the analogy of Rock and Roll to Jiu Jitsu’s development, traveling the world teaching, how society views older people, being part of the Dirty Dozen, JKD,  Rigan Machado and Rickson Gracie’s impact on him, his wife Melissa and how they met, having fun in Jiu Jitsu…

“In combat simplicity succeeds and complexity kills.” Lt Col. Jason Mills

Jason Mills is a Pedro Sauer Brown belt and a Certified Gracie University instructor. He recently finished his military career and will be the new manager of Gracie Sacramento  (a new CTC) in the Sacramento area of CA. In this interview he discusses his military career, how he found Jiu Jitsu and his Jiu Jitsu philosophy, hard vs soft training, the importance of mastering the basics at a high level, the instructors who’ve had the biggest impact on him, how Helio emphasized the self defense mindset and how Professor Sauer, Ryron and Rener are carrying it forward, advice for people starting Jiu Jitsu, other martial arts he practices, his favorite book and the meaning it has for him and his life, and more….

Listen on all major podcast platforms or at GracieJiuJitsuRocks.com