Beyond the Belt
Welcome to Beyond the Belt, a podcast that explores the intersection of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and everyday life. In each episode, we sit down with black belts who don’t have Jiujitsu as their primary source of income. They are practitioners (and sometimes also coaches) who balance their love for BJJ with successful careers, family life, and personal passions. In each conversation, we dive into how BJJ has helped their life, share stories that represent who they are as a person and show that there is more to them than just jiujitsu. We nerd out about the things important to them on and off the mats. Whether you’re a BJJ enthusiast, someone curious about the sport, or just looking for inspiration in balancing your passions with life’s demands, Beyond the Belt offers insights and stories that resonate on and off the mats.
Episodes
This is a conversation with Steve Jolly, a black belt out of El Paso, Texas, USA. Steve is a Minister, traveled the world helping to provide clean water, and is the Founder/Director of the Rio Bravo project.
If you have the financial ability to donate to the Rio Bravo Project, go to https://www.riobravoproject.com/give where you can either do a one-time donation or a regular monthly contribution. Or if you have the ability to donat...
This is a conversation with Heidi Cheng, a black belt out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Heidi is a Fashion Engineer and Technical Designer, a seamstress, and a reclaimer of goods.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hi.im_heidi
* Beltchecker: https://www.beltchecker.com/profile.php?id=45315
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-cheng-449792a/
* Training Academy: "The Jiujitsu Company" - https://...
This is a conversation with Dylan Freedman, a black belt out of Jamestown, New York, USA. Dylan is a Corrections officer trainer for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. He also travels the US and helps to teach defensive tactics for the company Effective Fitness Combatives.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/freedbjj
* Effective Fitness Combatives: https://www.efcombatives.com/
...This is a conversation with Fabian Fitzner, a black belt out of Dubai, UAE. Fabian is lifelong entrepreneur, network marketing expert, kite surfer, and BJJ school owner.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/fabian.fitzner
* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FabianFitzner
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianfitzner/
Contact:
* Be a Guest: https://btb.fan/newguest
Outline:
00:00 Intro
00:17 Journey to...
This is a conversation with Matt Shamloo, a black belt out of Long Island, New York, USA. Matt is a wedding photographer and videographer, BJJ and MMA coach, and avid Tony Robbins supporter.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattshamloo_bjjmma
* The Midnight Project Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themidnightprojectweddings
* The Midnight Project Website: https://www.themidnightproject.co/
This is a conversation with Paul Elliott, a black belt out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. Paul is a software engineer, BJJ coach and writer, backpacker, and photographer.
Episode Links:
* Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/simplebjj
* Website: https://www.simplebjj.com
* Most Popular Article: https://simplebjj.com/a-week-with-henry-akins/
* A Year With Henry Akins: https://simplebjj.com/a-year-with-henry-akins/
This is a conversation with Mikhail Oza, a black belt out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Mikhail is technology strategist with Microsoft, BJJ coach and commentator, and scuba diver.
Episode Links:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikhail-oza/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baloothebeardog
* The Jiujitsu Company: https://www.instagram.com/thejiujitsucompany
* The Jiujitsu Shop: https://www.jiujitsuphilly.com...
This is a conversation with Toma Dragicevic, a black belt out of Ontario, Canada. Toma is senior manager in corporate North America as well as being the owner of a few gyms in Ontario, Canada.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/toma_rmnu_canada
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toma-dragicevic-7b92a022/
* Current BJJ: https://currentbjj.com
* Revo Jiujitsu: https://revojiujitsu.com
Contact:
Jimmy Park is a black belt of New York, New York, USA. Jimmy is a climber, photographer, and Bonsai stylist. He is also an entrepreneur who runs Opascope, his digital marketing agency.
Episode Links:
* Photography IG: https://instagram.com/EasyStreetNYC
* Personal IG: https://instagram.com/Veritas247
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmypark/
* Opascope: https://opascope.com/
Contact:
* Be a Guest: https://btb.fan/newgu...
This is a conversation with Gorka Uztarroz, a black belt out of Paris, France. Gorka is an artist who likes to focus most of his creative energy on comics. He also works for a medical repatriation company.
Episode Links:
* Art Website: https://www.gorkauztarroz.com
* Comic Website: https://www.lefrenchninja.com
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/cosmogol666
* Beltchecker: https://www.beltchecker.com/profile.php?id=32726
Contact...
This is a conversation with Mike McLean, a black belt out of Torquay, Victoria, Australia. Mike is an artist who focuses mostly on painting on reclaimed materials. He has painted hundreds of thousands of Wagtails that have made it around the world. He's also an art teacher and a poet.
Episode Links:
* Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/@mikemcleanartist
* Will the Wagtail Instagram: https://instagram.com/@willythewagta...
Stephan Kesting is a black belt out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Stephan is a fireman, outdoorsman, podcaster, author, and BJJ instructor and OG jiujitsu content creator. He is currently making the rounds promoting his new book, "Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic."
Episode Links:
* Book: Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic: https://btb.fan/17-persevere
* Strenuous Life Podcast: https://youtube.co...
Bunmi Ojewole is a black belt out of Cape Town, South Africa. Bunmi is a doctor and currently finishing up her training to become an orthopaedic surgeon. In her spare time, she also fights MMA and dances Kazumba and Bachata. She is one of first few female black belts in South Africa.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/@bunmiojewole
* Lions Den Jiujitsu: https://instagram.com/@lionsdensa
* Pride Fighting Academy: ...
Matt McPeake is a black belt out of Ontario, Canada. He is also an Engineer, director of Sales in the paper and packaging industry, and a Batman enthusiast.
Episode Links:
* Beltchecker: https://www.beltchecker.com/profile.php?id=61
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/@jitzrollz
* Facebook: https://facebook.com/matthew.mcpeake.1
* BJJ Fanatics Introduction to the Power Line: Modified Kesa Gatame: https://btb.fan/15-bjjkesa
Will Stone is a black belt out of Swindon, United Kingdom. Will is a member of the UK parliament representing Swindon North, an Army veteran, former bouncer as well as the owner of 10th Planet Swindon.
Episode Links:
* Will Stone Instagram: https://instagram.com/@WillstoneMP
* Will Stone Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willstone1990/
* 10th Planet Swindon Website: https://www.10thplanetswindon.com/
Stevie Antoniou is a black belt out of Stockholm, Sweden. Stevie is a world traveler, freelance photographer and videographer, documentarian, and wilderness guide. He has also been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease.
Episode Links:
* Beltchecker: https://www.beltchecker.com/profile.php?id=44
* Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/@stevieantoniou
* Personal Website: https://www.stevieantoniou.com
Doug Kimball is a black belt out of Oklahoma, USA. Doug is a former Chief Marketing Officer, seasoned marketing executive, and the Operations Director for the Robson Moura BJJ Association.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/@dkimballil
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougkimball/
* Robson Moura Association: https://robsonmoura.com/rmnu/robson-moura-jiu-jitsu-association/
* Robson Moura: https://robsonmou...
Jamie Bunn is a black belt out of Melbourne, Australia. Jamie is an executive coach, has a master's degree in nutrition, and is a life-long Buddhist.
Episode Links:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiebunn/
* Website: https://www.jamiebunn.coach
* Jamie's 5 Foundational Forces: https://btb.fan/11-5forces
* Dan Pink: https://www.danpink.com/
* Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/ ...
Brandon Gaspar is a black belt out of Ontario, Canada. Brandon is former gold miner, current geologist, and now works as a research analyst doing technical due diligence on mineral development projects.
Episode Links:
* Instagram: https://instagram.com/@bgaspar00
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bgaspar
* SCP Resource Finance: https://www.scp-rf.com/
* Volt Rush by Henry Sanderson - https://btb.fan/10-book1
Alex Buch is a black belt out of Wuppertal, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Alex is a lifelong martial artist, former MMA fighter, philosophy major, and social worker focusing childhood behaviorial therapy.
Episode Links:
* Beltchecker: https://www.beltchecker.com/profile.php?id=35397
* Alex's Instagram: https://instagram.com/@xelabook
* Kuzushi BJJ: https://instagram.com/@kuzushi_bjj_dinslaken
* Caveirinia JJ Düsseldorf IG: https:...
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