Founder of Budokon Cameron Shayne joins Pete Deeley for a deep conversation on the warrior's mind: why a warrior is not an athlete, why the body only grows from stress, how the self-talk of aging quietly holds us back, and how to judge the source of any advice you're given. A masterclass in the mindset underneath the movement.

Watch the full video on YouTube: [YouTube link]
Submission Coffee: https://submissioncoffee.com · My Jiu Jitsu Journey app on the App Store
Follow: @jiujitsumindset

IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Warrior vs. athlete: what martial arts really shapes
10:08 The hero's journey and "make yourself a great person"
24:05 Untangling the body like a junk drawer
31:11 A late black belt, and training with the best in the world
38:30 Learning what you didn't know you didn't know
51:38 The body grows from stress
58:54 Don't talk yourself old
67:41 Be critical about the source of your advice
70:47 Rich vs. happy: knowledge vs. wisdom

#jiujitsu #bjj #mindset #budokon

Professor Eli Knight returns to The Jiu Jitsu Mindset, and this time we build the conversation around the hero's journey — the call, the crisis, the near-quit, the mentor, and the message he'd leave behind.

Eli is a Royce Gracie black belt and one of the clearest thinkers working in self-defense jiu-jitsu. He talks here about the loss that pushed him into a taekwondo class as a teenager, the cousin who went to jail while he went to martial arts, the year his daughter was born and he nearly walked away from all of it, and why he still isn't sure who he would be without jiu-jitsu.

He also gives one of the best answers we have had on what the art is actually for: "Jiu-jitsu to me is the serenity prayer. It teaches you how to accept things you can't change, how to change things you can, and how to know the difference." And then, at the very end, he takes the whole thing apart again with a bar of soap.

CONNECT WITH PROFESSOR ELI KNIGHT

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnightJiuJitsu

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knight_jiu_jitsu_

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@knightjiujitsu

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KnightJiuJitsu

Instructionals: https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/eli-knight

THE JIU JITSU MINDSET

Website: https://thejiujitsumindset.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJiuJitsuMindset

X: https://x.com/jiujitsumindset

Find a school near you: https://thejiujitsumindset.com/pages/jiu-jitsu-schools-near-you

SUPPORTING THE SHOW

Submission Coffee — https://submissioncoffee.com (still not a performance-enhancing drug)

My Jiu Jitsu Journey — free to try on the App Store and Google Play

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome back — year five of the podcast

00:29 Submission Coffee and the My Jiu Jitsu Journey app

01:25 Professor Eli Knight returns: the hero's journey

03:35 Crisis, loss, and the class that caught him

05:28 The soft kid who learned to face chaos

08:45 Zen, Daoism, and what religion didn't give him

10:03 "He went to jail, I went to martial arts"

11:17 It doesn't make you a good person — it reveals you

12:21 Pete's story: six years old outside Macy's

14:48 The year he almost walked away

18:42 The leap of faith into a martial arts career

20:10 "I'm not 100% sure who I am without jiu-jitsu"

22:19 The mentor: "you're off in the woods looking for Yoda"

25:35 Coaching with real care — Fit to Fight and Ryan Hoover

27:05 Instructor vs. coach: knowing what you are

30:36 When the fighter is already redlining

33:21 Technique vs. principle is a false choice

34:57 What he'd want people to take away

36:56 Jiu-jitsu is the serenity prayer

38:57 The bar of soap

#jiujitsu #bjj #brazilianjiujitsu #selfdefense #eliknight #martialarts #thejiujitsumindset

Host Pete Deeley talks with Professor Chris about preserving Gracie Jiu-Jitsu—specifically Rickson Gracie's interpretation focused on practical self-defense, common-sense solutions to common attacks, and "invisible jiu-jitsu" principles like connection, base, timing, and control rather than strength or athleticism. Chris explains how self-defense knowledge has been diluted by sport-focused training, why losing this curriculum forces people to "reinvent the wheel," and how he was injured after seeking self-defense but ending up in a sport school. He describes building Rickson Gracie United as a structured, global curriculum with tiers and affiliate academies, adding stress and live sparring, and keeping sport and self-defense unified while making training accessible for beginners, kids, and non-competitors. The conversation also touches on Rickson's character, honesty, boundaries, and how jiu-jitsu teaches realistic self-assessment.

00:00 Welcome and Updates

01:07 Movie References Warmup

03:07 Why Preserve Gracie Jiu Jitsu

08:23 Invisible Jiu Jitsu Basics

09:49 Hickson Gracie Unite Launch

11:05 Making Self Defense Accessible

14:06 What Gets Lost Without It

15:17 Personal Story and Injuries

17:39 Jiu Jitsu Telephone Effect

21:04 Sport Growth and Realism

23:32 Sport and Self Defense Unity

30:52 Who Self Defense Is For

32:18 Training Is Not Fighting

33:08 Trauma Empathy On Mats

34:00 Why Rickson Matters

36:27 Good Person Boundaries

38:13 Honesty Ocean Metaphor

42:55 Teaching Kids Through Play

44:51 Belts Competition Context

46:49 Confidence For Daughters

49:28 Internet Backlash Tribalism

52:52 Open Hand Learning

55:24 Lose To Learn Timing

58:16 Preserving Hickson Legacy

01:00:38 Mats Are Contextual

01:01:57 RGU Links And Farewell

Host Pete Deeley welcomes Professor Juanta "Tater" Wolf to discuss building a jiu jitsu life and academy while balancing family and community. Pete shares updates on the My Jiu Jitsu Journey app (including a new weight-loss component) and invites gym owners to carry Submission Coffee. Juanta explains that before jiu jitsu he focused on painting and murals, describing his style as therapeutic, abstract "Afro Cubism," and connects that improvisational approach to how he rolls and avoids rigid game plans. He credits becoming a father as the turning point that moved him from hobbyist to daily coach and eventual owner, bringing his son to the academy since four months old. Juanta recounts how he found his first gym through a graffiti painting encounter with coach Aaron, emphasizing serious training paired with fun, welcoming culture, and he shares his love of competition, a memorable injury match win, and a student moment when his cousin's daughter showcased jiu jitsu at a school talent show. He closes with where to follow Prairie Wolf Jujitsu online.

00:00 Welcome and Updates

01:32 Meet Professor Juanta

02:38 Art Before Jiu Jitsu

03:54 Flow State Training

05:25 Fatherhood and Ownership

09:26 Finding the First Gym

11:40 Building a Fun Culture

13:34 Why Compete

17:09 Injury and Breakthrough Win

20:07 Student Impact Story

22:05 Tater Man Nickname

22:42 Where to Follow and Farewell

Change, Initiation, and Jiu Jitsu as a Modern Mystery with Professor Jason Hawkins

The host of The Jiu Jitsu Mindset welcomes Professor Jason Hawkins, promotes the My Jiu Jitsu Journey app's new weight-loss component, and mentions Submission Coffee's wholesale program for gym owners. They discuss change as deep transformation rather than habit tweaks, framing growth as transmuting suffering into consciousness and using a marathon "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional" story plus the Yoga Sutras' "now" as a call to seriousness when ordinary coping fails. They explore initiation as guided "death, burial, resurrection," historically tied to near-death clarity, with compassion distinguishing it from abuse, and note women are "initiated by nature" while men often need imposed rites. They relate initiation to martial arts as modern mystery schools: sacred space, gi/belt symbolism, told-shown-done learning, humility, trust, and moving from technique to principle and "no habit." They cover Nietzsche's camel-lion-child, three paths (hardship, self-study, surrender), boredom as a gatekeeper, devotion vs outcome-seeking, and responsibility as the warrior ethic.

00:00 Welcome and Updates

01:08 Meet Jason Hawkins

01:50 Why People Change

03:04 Pain vs Suffering Story

03:59 Yoga Sutras and Now

06:02 Transformation Not Habits

10:02 Gross to Subtle Path

13:32 What Is Initiation Today

16:35 Near Death and Rites

21:59 Pete's Grandfather Lesson

25:57 Mysteries and Three Steps

31:27 Nietzsche Camel Lion Child

36:21 Iron John Colors and Jiu Jitsu

38:22 Pick Your Moment

38:33 No Habit Mastery

38:46 Rolling With My Son

40:33 Skill Stages Explained

42:01 Mystery School Question

45:05 Sacred Space Rituals

48:13 False Danger Real Growth

52:00 Practice Reverence Discipline

54:16 Warrior Responsibility

01:01:03 Mystery Cannot Be Told

01:04:03 Miracles And Attention

01:05:57 Boredom Gatekeeper

01:08:16 Devotion Over Discipline

01:11:50 Closing Reflections

Host Pete Deeley welcomes Coach Levi Frank to The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset, shares updates on Submission Coffee sponsoring the Momentum Martial Arts Competition Team and the ad-free My Jiu Jitsu Journey app, then explores how martial arts transformed Levi's life. Levi explains he lacked confidence before MMA/jiu-jitsu and was influenced by watching UFC, school bullying, and a difficult relationship with his older brother. He credits Professor Darian Cobon with changing his worldview and mindset, replacing false security with confidence built from training and work, helping him calm overthinking and improve daily life. Levi argues competition is necessary because it tests training and changes people mentally regardless of outcome. He recounts a memorable amateur MMA TKO against a striker, following Darian's guidance to secure mount and finish with ground-and-pound. Levi also describes the impact of teaching kids and seeing dramatic confidence and life changes in students, and jokingly adopts the nickname "Super Billy Gilly" for his love of the guillotine.

00:00 Welcome and Sponsors

01:14 Life Without Martial Arts

02:39 Bullying and Early Motivation

04:03 Coach Darian Mindset Shift

05:26 Confidence Beyond the Mats

08:55 Why Competition Matters

11:43 Most Memorable MMA Fight

14:35 Ring vs Schoolyard Violence

18:39 Teaching Kids and Raising Lions

21:21 Gym Transformations and Wins

23:54 Super Billy Gilly Name

24:39 Closing and Next Meetup

Host Pete Deeley welcomes back Professor Kenny Kim to discuss when martial arts became a lifelong path for him, starting at age four or five and realizing by high school he wanted a future in martial arts. Kim shares how training helped him overcome racism, bullying, and childhood shyness by building confidence and a desire to lead and teach, even while competing. He describes a major period of disillusionment in his late 20s/early 30s: business stress from running an academy since age 20–21, debt around $100,000, selling his academy for $100,000 to reset, briefly pursuing home inspection and then thriving as a personal trainer before returning to open a new school in 2006. Kim credits close teammates and world champions for shaping him and emphasizes humility, aging as a privilege, and giving back. He also previews Mat Made's expansion: matmade.com now hosts short stories and a large U.S. jiu-jitsu directory with 7,000+ listings and a rebooted, raw vlog-style academy-visit series.

00:00 Welcome and Sponsors

00:58 Kenny Kim Returns

01:48 Martial Arts Beginnings

03:47 Confidence Through Training

06:01 Competitor to Teacher

07:53 Burnout and Debt Spiral

11:39 Starting Over in 2006

14:53 Hustle and Self Learning

16:51 Brothers and Mentors

18:57 Legacy Humility Giving Back

21:52 Mat Made Directory Expansion

23:37 New Raw Vlog Series

25:14 Closing Thanks and Farewell

Damien Blotzke on Martial Arts as a Life Pivot, Competition, and Self-Mastery

Host Pete Deeley opens by promoting the Momentum Martial Arts competition team, joking about "submission coffee" as a performance enhancer, and announcing the ad-free My Jiu-Jitsu Journey app with a small monthly fee. He then interviews fighter Damien Blotzke, who says martial arts shaped his identity and gave him tools for learning, problem-solving, listening, and self-control. Blotzke describes being adopted by his brother Darian and moving to Nevada on short notice as a pivotal fork in the road that placed him in a strong learning environment and allowed him to pursue fighting. He cites Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings and discusses competition as mental, spiritual, and physical, emphasizing breathwork to quiet his inner critic and fight camp as preparation. He recounts memorable bouts, including his first amateur loss at 16, later success, and a five-round fight where he dominated. Deeley shares his own early competition experience and they discuss Momentum's supportive culture. Blotzke suggests the superhero name "Spike Elbow" and shares social links: dthekidmma and Momentum Martial Arts.

00:00 Welcome and Sponsors

01:24 Meet Damien Blotzke

02:18 Adoption and New Start

07:34 When Martial Arts Clicked

10:49 Musashi and Life Lessons

13:08 Competition and Inner Voice

16:56 Most Memorable Fights

20:17 Host Competition Story

24:21 Momentum Community Impact

27:43 Spike Elbow Superhero

28:52 Where to Follow Damien

29:26 Final Thanks and Wrap Up