What Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Taught Me About Business, Life, and Getting My Ass Kicked.
What happens when a professional speaker, former TV presenter, and radio host becomes obsessed with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? You get bruises, humility, discipline, and a surprising set of life and business lessons that go way beyond the mats.
My name is Seamus Evans, and for the past year I’ve been hooked on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). My whole life I wanted to do martial arts, but growing up my mum thought it would make me more violent. What she didn’t realise was that a thrill-seeking, ADHD, high-energy kid like me desperately needed the discipline and focus martial arts brings.
At 35, I finally stepped into my first BJJ class. What started as a casual two-times-a-week hobby quickly spiraled into a full-blown obsession — now I train five days a week and still try to squeeze in weight sessions. Balance? Still figuring it out. But obsession? Guilty as charged.
What surprised me most wasn’t just the physical training, but how much BJJ has taught me about resilience, mindset, and leadership. These lessons apply as much to business, career, and personal growth as they do to rolling around on the mats. In this episode, I break down the five biggest lessons that BJJ has drilled into me.
Lesson 1: Calm the F*ck Down
When you’re pinned, crushed, or gasping for air in jiu-jitsu, the instinct is to panic. But panic never helps. Staying calm is everything. Even when you’re in control, rushing can flip the tables against you. The same rule applies to business and life. Chaos hits all of us — the key is to breathe, slow down, and make small, smart moves forward.
Lesson 2: Always Be on the Attack
In BJJ, even when you’re defending, you should be searching for opportunities to advance. If you sit back and only defend, you’re playing someone else’s game. In life and business, it’s the same. Protect yourself, but never stop creating opportunities, moving forward, and pushing the attack. Leaders act. Followers react.
Lesson 3: Time Is Your Best Friend
You don’t become fit after one workout or successful after one idea. You don’t earn a black belt in six months. Progress comes from time on the mats — showing up, over and over again. Business, relationships, fitness, happiness… all of it comes down to consistency. Intensity fades. Discipline builds success.
Lesson 4: Live in the Now
Nearly a year in, I’m so much better than when I started, but it still feels like day one. That’s because improvement becomes your new normal. In business, we often miss how much we’ve grown because we’re too busy comparing ourselves to others. Celebrate your progress. Appreciate the wins. Be your own cheer squad. The journey is the reward.
Lesson 5: The Journey Is the Best Part
Anyone can buy a black belt online, but that doesn’t mean they’ve earned the skill. The same goes for flashy houses, cars, or watches. Success isn’t about symbols. It’s about the grind. The setbacks. The small daily wins. Earning it feels ten times better than buying it.
Lately, I’ve even been thinking about death — not in a dark way, but as a reminder. One day we’re here, one day we’re not. So I ask myself: if today were my last day, would I be happy? If the answer is no, something needs to change. That’s the art of the hustle: enjoying every single day of the journey.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is more than a martial art. It’s discipline disguised as chaos, humility disguised as struggle, and wisdom disguised as bruises.
In business and in life, the lessons are the same:
Stay calm when things get tough.
Always keep moving forward.
Real growth takes time.
Celebrate progress, even when you don’t feel it.
Earn your success , don’t shortcut it.
If BJJ has taught me this much about resilience and business, maybe we all need to spend more time learning how to get beaten up.
Listen now to this episode of The Seamus Evans Show for practical lessons in resilience, mindset, and business — all learned the hard way on the mats.
