In this episode, we sit down with Phil Daru, one of the most respected strength and conditioning coaches in combat sports.

Phil takes us through his journey from fighter to coach and shares what he’s learned working with elite athletes across MMA, boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We talk about what actually drives performance at the highest level, from strength and conditioning to recovery, mobility, fatigue management, and building training programs around the individual athlete.

Phil also breaks down the biggest mistakes he sees athletes and coaches making, why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work, and how understanding the demands of your specific sport can completely change the way you train.

We also get into weight cutting, nutrition, training for busy athletes, recovery, and the mindset required to keep improving. Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or just a fan of combat sports, there’s a ton of practical insight you can take from this conversation.

Follow Phil on socials @darustrong

This week on Weslee Weighs In, we sit down with one of the most recognizable photographers in jiu-jitsu, Dorian Brownlee.

Dorian’s story is about a lot more than taking pictures. From watching UFC 1 as a kid and serving in the Army, to getting humbled on his first night of jiu-jitsu, Dorian eventually found himself shooting tournaments with a borrowed camera, and turned that opportunity into a full-time career photographing some of the biggest events in the sport.

We talk about how he Heath Pedigo gave him his first opportunity at an IBJJF tournament, what it takes to capture that split-second moment that tells the story of a match, and why he believes the best jiu-jitsu photographers actually need to understand the sport from the inside.

But this conversation goes way beyond photography.

Dorian gets real about toxic gym culture, over-the-top parents, sportsmanship, women’s programs, youth coaching, and what it actually takes to build a strong jiu-jitsu community. He also shares the story behind his signature giraffe look, the tragedy that pushed him to stop waiting for permission and bet on himself, and the journey that eventually led him to opening a brand-new Pedigo Submission Fighting gym in Columbia, Missouri.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Dorian’s journey from marketing cars and using a borrowed camera to becoming a full-time combat sports photographer

• How he got his start photographing IBJJF tournaments

• What separates a great jiu-jitsu photograph from just another picture of a match

• Why photographers who compete have a unique perspective on the sport

• The communication between athletes and photographers that can make tournament coverage better

• The story behind Dorian’s signature giraffe look 🦒

• Toxic gym culture, bad sportsmanship, and the impact they have on the next generation

• Over-the-top jiu-jitsu parents and what coaches and gym owners can do about it

• Why women’s programs and youth coaching are so important

• What it really means to build a “tribe” in jiu-jitsu

• The decision that changed Dorian’s life and pushed him to bet on himself

• His new Pedigo Submission Fighting gym in Columbia, Missouri

Dorian has spent years documenting the people, moments, and chaos that make jiu-jitsu what it is. Now he’s stepping into a completely different role as a gym owner.

This one is part jiu-jitsu, part photography, part entrepreneurship, and a whole lot of honest conversation about the culture surrounding the sport.

Follow Dorian on socials: @bjjedits

Check out his new gym, Pedigo Submission Fighting in Columbia, MO

@psfcolumbiamo

www.psfcomo.com

Jared Wade is proof that starting late doesn’t mean you can’t chase the top.

This week, we sit down with Jared to talk about his unconventional path from a finance career into jiu-jitsu at 21, eventually becoming one of the most talked-about purple belts in the sport and medaling at Pans and Worlds.

Jared shares what changed between being “the worst blue belt in the room” and becoming an elite competitor, including the coaches, training rooms, and experiences that shaped his game. He breaks down why positional sparring, private lessons, and competing can be more valuable than endless competition rounds, and why he focuses on studying movement and concepts rather than simply memorizing techniques.

The conversation also gets into something Jared believes is just as important as training: staying curious and having fun. After burning himself out, he found that getting playful with his jiu-jitsu has helped his game explode.

Jared also opens up about the less-talked-about side of competing at a high level while building a public brand. He discusses social media, sponsorships, private lessons, content creation, and the challenge of balancing growing an audience with the focus required to become a champion.

Whether you’re a competitor, hobbyist, coach, content creator, or just someone trying to get better at something you love, Jared’s story is a great reminder that you can chase and achieve your goals at any age.

Follow Jared on Instagram @jaredwadebjj

In this episode of the Weslee Weighs In Podcast, Weslee and Bailey sit down with three-time IBJJF World Champion, black belt, coach, and content creator Heather Morgan for a conversation about competition, coaching, confidence, and the evolution of her jiu-jitsu journey.

Heather shares how she found jiu-jitsu after college, why she moved to San Diego to train at a higher level, and how her gymnastics background shaped her athleticism and style on the mat. She also talks about what it really takes to compete at the highest levels and how confidence is built through preparation, hard training, and constantly putting yourself in challenging environments.

The conversation dives deep into Heather’s coaching philosophy, including why she believes coaches should help students develop their own game rather than create copies of themselves. She explains how constraint-led and gamified training can help athletes become better problem-solvers, the difference between being an instructor and being a true coach, and why studying live competition is just as important as studying techniques.

Heather also opens up about how injuries forced her to rethink her identity as a competitor and ultimately pushed her further into coaching and content creation. She shares what she’s learned about building an audience, communicating jiu-jitsu through short-form content, and connecting with everyone from hobbyists to high-level competitors.

Whether you compete, coach, or simply want to become better at jiu-jitsu, this episode is packed with insight from one of the sport’s most accomplished and thoughtful voices.

Follow Heather Morgan on social media:

YouTube: @heather_morganbjj

Instagram: @heather_morganbjj

TikTok: @heather_morganbjj

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Natalie Boss opens up about the highs and lows of her journey in jiu jitsu and the experiences that have shaped her both as an athlete and as a person.

Natalie gets vulnerable about imposter syndrome, burnout, injuries, and what happens when the thing you’ve built your identity around suddenly changes. She shares how being forced to slow down helped her rethink her relationship with training and competition, and how learning to balance ambition with recovery, nutrition, self-care, and simply enjoying jiu jitsu has made her a stronger athlete.

We also talk about staying curious, learning how to compete without letting results define you, her women’s retreats, her coaching philosophy, and why learning to take up space can be such an important part of growth.

This is a conversation about much more than jiu jitsu. It’s about resilience, identity, ambition, and figuring out how to keep becoming better without losing yourself along the way.

Be sure to follow Natalie on social media:

@nattiebossrd

@bodybyboss

On this episode of Weslee Weighs In, Weslee and Bailey sit down with one of the best grapplers in the world, Elisabeth Clay, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to build a career in professional jiu-jitsu.

We dive into one of the most overlooked topics in professional grappling: how athletes actually make money. Elisabeth breaks down the financial reality of competing, why IBJJF events can make more sense than many people realize, the organization’s athlete payouts, and why the “superfights pay better” narrative isn’t always true. If you’ve ever wondered how elite competitors choose where to compete, this conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the business side of jiu-jitsu.

We also discuss:

• The evolution of leg locks in modern jiu-jitsu
• UFC BJJ and the future of professional grappling
• Training intelligently without burning out
• Judging, coaching, and staying competitive at the highest level
• Balancing competition with family life

Whether you’re an active competitor, a coach, or just a fan of the sport, this episode offers a unique look at both the technical and business sides of elite jiu-jitsu.

🎙️ If you enjoy the show, be sure to follow Weslee Weighs In, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with a friend. New episodes drop every week.

This week, Beatrice “Berimbozo” Jin joins Weslee Weighs In to talk about her journey from starting jiu-jitsu as an adult to becoming one of the top-ranked lightweight black belts in the world.

We get into what separates competitors at the highest level, from grip fighting and mat IQ to confidence, nerves, and the ability to make adjustments in the middle of a match. Beatrice also shares her approach to training and self-coaching, her thoughts on guard pulling, rulesets and CLA, and what she’s learned about building a strong women’s program and lasting gym community.

We also dive into some of the bigger conversations happening in jiu-jitsu right now: guard pulling, different rulesets, CLA and games-based training, and how training methods change as you become a more experienced athlete.

It’s a conversation about high-level jiu-jitsu, competition strategy, training, leadership, and everything Beatrice has learned during a pretty incredible climb through the sport.

Follow Weslee Weighs In for more conversations with the athletes, coaches, and personalities shaping jiu jitsu and combat sports.

Rosie Miller (@rosierollz) joins us for one of our favorite conversations yet. We dive into her journey from dance and competitive boxing to becoming one of the most respected competitors, coaches, and educators in jiu-jitsu, and how each chapter shaped the way she approaches learning, teaching, and competing today.

We talk about why fundamentals never stop mattering, how concept-based training and the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) are changing the way people learn jiu-jitsu, and why simply collecting techniques isn’t enough to build a game that actually works. Rosie also shares her thoughts on cross-training, gym culture, the gi vs. no-gi conversation, and how different training environments have influenced her development.

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is Rosie’s perspective on helping athletes become problem-solvers instead of instruction followers. We discuss creativity on the mats, overcoming plateaus, coaching kids and adults differently, and creating an environment where people can develop their own style instead of becoming copies of their coaches.

Of course, we also get into a little bit of Rosie’s personal story. We talk about how a difficult season in her life led her to jiu-jitsu, what kept her coming back, and why she’s so passionate about making the sport more approachable for everyone.

Whether you’re a competitor chasing gold, a coach trying to develop better athletes, or someone just looking to improve your understanding of jiu-jitsu, this episode is packed with insights you’ll be thinking about long after it’s over.

Check out https://rosierollz.com/ for Rose’s instructional or to contact her about coaching or scheduling a seminar.

Follow Rose on socials at:

Instagram: @rosierollz

TikTok: @rosierollzbjj

YouTube: @rosierollz

Link to the Gold BJJ x Rematch Gi (@rematch_gi) mentioned in this episode: https://goldbjj.com/products/rematch-gi?srsltid=AfmBOoooWle-Q_aEstuvyLWxODh5XY9BwBiUZSNWhFoeoh9wvXLuSobf