Summer Guerra is a blue belt at Precision Jiu Jitsu Academy. In this conversation, we chat about her recent competition successes, what it's like to be a mom who trains, and how jiu jitsu has helped her find her true strength.

Melissa Templeman was on a path to the Olympics when a sudden injury changed her trajectory. In this episode, we talk about how that journey impacted her and the insights she's gained from her over decade of experience in martial arts. She shares how she approaches the challenges of being a smaller jiu jitsu practitioner, strategies for having a more productive mental game, and the impact that martial arts have had on her self image.

I've been losing more competition matches since I got to blue belt. Surprisingly, I'm a lot more okay with that than I would have expected. In this episode, I discuss how my feelings about losing have changed over time and the new question I'm asking myself when I feel afraid.

In this episode I have my first black belt guest! Von Stricklen is a military veteran, podcaster, and fitness coach who brings a holistic approach to her work. In this conversation, we discuss Von's philosophy around coaching, how taking a break from competing made her stronger, and her experience of being promoted to black belt.

I'm a very driven person, sometimes to a fault. There have been times when I've stuck to a goal to my own detriment. In this episode, I discuss how I've learned to be flexible with goals while still moving forward and how the idea of just doing "the next right thing" has helped me both personally and in my rolling.

For years, I struggled with dealing with uncertainty. During challenging periods of my life, I just wanted to know so desperately how everything was going to turn out. Competing in jiu jitsu has been an invaluable tool in learning how to accept that I can never know the outcome of anything until it's happened. In this episode, I discuss how I've become more comfortable living with the uncertainty of my circumstances, and how along that path I've become more certain in myself.

Since I was promoted to blue belt, I've noticed there are less people in my competition divisions. There have been a couple competitions I wasn't able to do at all. This issue is particularly relevant for women, and it's something I'd like to see change in the sport. In this episode, I discuss why I think competing is so valuable and provide a framework for how to think about approaching your first competition.

I've committed to doing Master Worlds this year. It'll be the biggest competition I've done, and I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how I want to mentally and physically prepare. In this episode, I discuss how my perspective on winning has changed over time and the new mindset I'm taking on with my competition prep.

This episode features my fellow competitor, Dessi, a blue belt at 10th Planet Oakland. We met when we faced off at our last competition, and in this episode we reconnect to recap our matches and discuss Dessi's experience living and training with Type 1 Diabetes.

Doing my best can be hard. When I really go for something, I'm forced to confront the reality that there's only so much I'll ever achieve. In this episode, I discuss how a recent challenging period in my training showed me the importance of being willing to confront limitations.