What's up guys! Thanks for coming back to the White Belt Mafia podcast after a few month hiatus.  Life got nuts for a while but I'm finally back to recording episodes and sharing the love and knowledge.  Today's episode is an important topic that more than a few people have requested:  Alternative healing and injury prevention.  I asked my professor / our gym's owner Greg Anderson from the Endless Endeavor podcast to come back on the pod, because of his 20+ year background in physically extreme environments. He's experienced most injuries you can think of, and similar to my experience, he's built his own personal toolbag of "alternative" recovery and injury prevention methods that work for him, mostly outside of traditional western medicine.  If you're interested in alternative, weird, " woo woo" stuff, this is the convo for you. We cover everything from red light therapy to fasting to energetic body / spiritual concepts. It was a fun conversation and I hope you get something out of it!  The Endless Endeavor Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5asbMCLRIb014URj6o0aKm?si=7d8e83b1595a41be Greg's Instagram: @granderson33 https://www.instagram.com/granderson33?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

What's up guys! For this week's pod, I'm pumped to share a conversation with a new brother and someone I know will be a lifelong friend, Vince Luci.  Vince has been training for around 15 years with a couple long breaks for pretty serious injuries, but has always figured out how to bounce back.  He thinks deeply about the learning process, how to improve as a beginner, how to get over the humps/plateaus that we all inevitably experience, and where to focus your energy. I love his view on life and how he filters everything with positivity and gratitude. Really enjoyed getting to know him during his visit, and I'm sure we'll have him on the pod again the next time he's in town! Don't forget to like, follow, auto-download, or leave a review if you enjoy! I'm always open to DMs about topics you'd like to hear about or folks you'd like to hear on the pod (or constructive criticism :) 

Vince's instagram: @northsouthsasquatch

WBM instagram: @whitebeltmafiapod

What's up guys, last week got away from me with work, family life, and jiu jitsu, so I forgot to post my episode with my homie Jake!  So you get to enjoy it this week instead.  Jake is one of our big (mean) blue belts. He has a very trappy game, punishes your mistakes, and always teaches you something about yourself.  We cover a number of topics, from using Jiu Jitsu to rekindle the beginner's mindset and ability to have fun in life, to ideas for new white belts to think about their game (in order to progress a little more efficiently). He doesn't sugar coat anything and is obsessed with the game, which makes him a very valuable teammate. 

Enjoy the episode - and do your homie a favor and subscribe or auto-download the pod episodes if you enjoy it! If all 3 of my listeners do this we might reach more earholes! ;-)  Also I've had a few people hit me up on instagram (@downstairsdanny) to offer recommendations for episode topics they want to hear more about – please don't hesitate to reach out! I love having more ideas to work with. 

Jake's Instagram: @firebear802

Podcast Instagram: @whitebeltmafiapod

This week I got to sit down with one of our incredible coaches, Wil Ngotel. I've learned a ton from Wil both on and off the mats – his jiu jitsu, coaching, and parenting skills come from a lifetime of dealing with adversity (with a smile on his face). He's a brown belt under our professor Greg Anderson, and recently started his own podcast as well, Patriotic Islander.

Wil is pillar in our community and it's always a pleasure to share space with him. We get into his bjj journey, as well as his evolving "why" for training and the impact you can have on others on this path. 

Enjoy.

Wil's Instagram: @the_ngotelwilly_project

PATRIOTIC ISLANDER Podcast

This week we sit down with my friend and fellow white belt Stephen Hand.  Stephen found Jiu Jitsu in his early 40s and decided to use it as a catalyst to completely transform his life. He's approaching the end of a long career in the Navy, dealing with multiple injuries (any one of which would make a "normal" person give up training), and still dedicating himself to the art and to his new tribe here at ENJJ.  Stephen has zero quit in him and it's inspiring to hear his story.  We get into some of the lessons he's learned in this first year of jiu jitsu and what'd he'd tell "Day 1 Stephen" to make the whole process a little easier. Don't forget to share the pod if you enjoy! Stephen's Instagram: @_mister_steve

In episode 6 I sit down with my homie, fellow white belt, and 'gym rival' Anthony Monson.  Anthony and I started around the same time early last year, and since the jump there have been "no easy rolls."  We're constantly going back and forth as our games progress, and every roll is a coin flip.  He won gold in his bracket at a recent competition, so we got to talk about that process, what it takes to start BJJ in your late 30s and compete, and discussed each other's games which was a fun change of pace for both of us.

Another thing I respect about Anthony is how he immediately invested in our team / community. If you have someone like him on your team who constantly pushes you to be better but always has your back, that's a very valuable teammate.  Please subscribe and share the episode if you enjoy! 

Anthony's Instagram: @nwsurveyor 

This week's pod is a quick solo episode to reflect on some of the things I've learned, things I've improved at, stuff I need to get better at, and overarching thoughts on my own jiu jitsu journey so far.  This is my first time doing a solo pod so bear with me!  Regular-length discussions with all the amazing folks at my gym resume next week 🤙

In Episode 4 I get to sit down with my gym's "mama bear," blue belt, dedicated LEO wife and working mom, volunteer, and amazing bjj teammate Rachel Anderson. 

We get into her journey about finding jiu jitsu despite not having an "athletic" backround, and what that looked like for her in the early days (exactly 476 classes ago).  We talk about consistency, how she tracks her classes and thinks about her own game, while also going deep on bjj-life balance.  She has so many responsibilities as a professional, mom, volunteer, etc... and yet remains one of the most consistent 3-nights-per-week students at our academy. 

Rachel's story will inspire and educate anyone who practices jiu jitsu and struggles to balance the time commitment with the rest of their responsibilities (cough, Me). And perhaps if someone (me) is using life as an excuse, they can look at Rachel's dedication and think "Yeah.. I guess I DO have time for it."  Enjoy the episode! Rachel's Instagram: @rachelanderson118

For episode 3 I sit down with my professor, Greg Anderson.  Greg is a natural leader who has created and environment and culture at his academy that is second to none.  He is a former Army Ranger, DoD contractor, U.S. Marshall, Law Enforcement Officer, and business / brand / academy owner of Electric North Jiu Jitsu in Lake Stevens, WA.  I was fortunate to sit down with him for almost 2 hours in this episode to talk about his earlier experiences in Jiu Jitsu, how his game developed over the years, useful tips for white belts just starting out, and more. Jiu Jitsu is truly an Endless Endeavor for Greg and he's doing amazing work to bring more students to the game and to help us all level up. Greg's Instagram:  @granderson33 Endless Endeavor Podcast

For the 2nd episode of the pod, I sit down with Jordan Krich to talk about his journey with almost 30 years of grappling experience.  Jordan is a former collegiate wrestler, a terrifying purple belt, avid outdoorsman, cancer survivor, and all-around one of the most capable people I know.  After talking about how wrestling influenced his early life, we get into a few topics:  1. How jiu jitsu practitioners can use wrestling to improve their standup game 2. How wrestlers new to jiu jitsu can think about developing their bjj skillset 3. How non-wrestlers can best deal with people who have a wrestling background Our gym ENJJ starts every round from standing, so over the last year I've had the opportunity (i.e. been forced) to understand the importance of wrestling and takedowns.  Jordan has had a lifetime of experience in competitive grappling and brings a ton of wisdom to our team around takedowns, an important (and often neglected) element of the game.  As in life, seizing the initiative helps us play the game on our own terms.  - Jordan's Instagram:  • @jordankrich - Englightened Neaderthals Podcast