Kickflips to Kimuras: Jake Johnston's Jiu Jitsu Journey
Release Date: 02/07/2026
Trauma to Triumph: Dr. Jason Shields and the Power of Jiu Jitsu
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
Professor Dr. Jason Shields on Jiu Jitsu, Meditation, Trauma, and Competition Host Pete Deeley welcomes Professor Dr. Jason Shields to The Jiu Jitsu Mindset. Dr. Shields describes how Jiu Jitsu uniquely taught him resilience through losing, regaining control, and finding a “home” community, plus the tap as maximal threat with maximal safety. He explains his hyperfocus was cultivated through long-term inner work after severe childhood trauma from his Vietnam-veteran father’s PTSD and his mother’s healing path via transcendental meditation and supportive communities; he shares a...
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Crafting a Timeless Path | Rafael Lovato Jr.’s Unstoppable Journey
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Professor Steve Maxwell on Old-School Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Challenge Matches, and Training for Longevity
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Professor Steve Maxwell on Wrestling, Early Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Challenge Matches, and Training for Longevity Host Pete Deeley interviews Professor Steve Maxwell on Jiujitsu Mindset about how wrestling and strength training shaped his life, his early lifting roots near York Barbell, and how wrestling built conditioning, toughness, and skills that carried into jiu-jitsu. Maxwell describes training in the early Gracie Academy era with Rorion, Royce, Rickson, and others, emphasizing self-defense, distance management, takedowns, and principles (“invisible jiu-jitsu”) versus today’s...
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Professor Jack Taufer on Learning, Longevity, Competition & “Invisible” Jiu-Jitsu
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
Professor Jack Taufer on Jiu-Jitsu Learning, Longevity, and “Invisible” Mechanics Host Pete Deeley welcomes Professor Jack Taufer to The Jiu Jitsu Mindset and asks how Jiu Jitsu has shaped his life since starting at 15 in 1995, compared with paths like skateboarding, basketball, woodworking influences from his late father, or a possible finance career. They discuss jiu-jitsu as technical and physics-based yet expressed differently by each person, how skateboarding contributed balance, and how learning differs from other sports through constant adaptation to an opponent. Taufer describes...
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Think Street, Train Sport, Practice Art with Professor Chris Haueter
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
CHRIS HAUETER 6th Degree Black Belt 6th degree Black Belt and member of the dirty dozen (the first 12 non-Brazilian black belts). was the first American to submit a Brazilian in competition, the first American to compete as a black belt at the Mundials in Brazil and he continues to travel the world spreading his Jiu Jitsu philosophy of think street, train sport and practice art. He is also known for his golden rules of grappling, coining the term combat base as the base with one knee up and one knee down, and saying, "It is not about who is good, but who is left. It's time on the mat. You...
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Tait Fletcher on Jiu-Jitsu, Truth, Persistence, and Healing
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
Tait Fletcher on Jiu-Jitsu, Truth, Persistence, and Healing Pete Deeley interviews Professor Tait Fletcher about how combat sports shaped his life and character. Fletcher traces his path from Dog Brothers stick fighting to early Jiu Jitsu training in the 1990s, learning from figures including Arlan Sanford, Amal Easton, later also receiving a black belt from Eddie Bravo. He describes competing widely, fighting in MMA, training with notable fighters, and appearing on The Ultimate Fighter Season 3, emphasizing Eddie Bravo’s systematic coaching. The conversation focuses on jiu-jitsu as a source...
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Professor Scott Burr on Radical Accountability and Training with Rickson Gracie
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
Host Pete Deeley interviews Professor Scott Burr on how jiu-jitsu shaped his life by enforcing radical accountability, honesty, and responsibility for results. Burr describes coming from a traditional Korean striking art through MMA into Jiu-Jitsu, valuing its endless depth and continuous intellectual challenge, similar to writing. He explains his learning style as principle-driven, needing clear parameters and an overview before rapid improvement, and notes turning points like suddenly applying armbar concepts. Professor Burr discusses adding judo later to improve getting fights to the...
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Jiu-Jitsu as a Force Multiplier: Clay Cox on Ownership, Timing, and Raising Lions
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
Jiu-Jitsu as a Force Multiplier Ownership, Awareness, and Leadership with Clay Cox, a Black Belt under the legendary Rickson Gracie. Host Pete Deeley opens by recounting being submitted at a well-run Phoenix tournament and promotes JiujitsuMindset.com, Submission Coffee, and the Jiujitsu Mindset Online Academy kids class before interviewing Clay, a long-time jiu-jitsu practitioner and business leader. Clay describes starting jiu-jitsu at 19, his disciplined military-family upbringing, and a tech career path from early internet work to MCI, Verizon Wireless, Google, and leading a major business...
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"We Can Get Back What They Took From You" — Coach Donavin Britt on Martial Arts, Manhood, and Transformation
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
Coach Donavin Britt on Building Las Vegas Combat Academy, Mental Toughness, and Protecting Gym Culture Host Pete Deeley interviews Coach Donavin Britt on The Jiu Jitsu Mindset, discussing Britt’s path from apprenticing under instructor Roger Donofrio into becoming a Krav Maga and self-defense-first gym owner who later added jiu-jitsu and MMA. He describes earning high-level training under figures including Sgt. Major Nir Maman (as the first American certified instructor), Darren Levine, and John Whitman, and discusses the importance of standards, mental toughness, and having a purpose...
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Finding Power in Grappling: Awareness, Perception, and Judgment with Eddie Fyvie
The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset
Host Pete Deeley welcomes listeners back to The Jujitsu Mindset, promotes Submission Coffee, the JiujitsuMindset.com store, and a Jiujitsu Mindset Online Academy kids class for ages 7–12, then interviews professor Eddie Fyvie. Fyvie describes growing up in a rough upstate New York neighborhood with a single father in AA, being bullied, and finding direction through sports. He recounts starting peewee wrestling after being drawn to a pro-wrestling ring, using a double-leg takedown and cradle on a neighborhood bully, then discovering UFC 1 and Royce Gracie, which cemented his commitment to...
info_outlineJiu Jitsu Journeys: Jake Johnston From Skateboarding to Jiu Jitsu
In this episode of Jiu Jitsu Mindsets, host Pete Deeley welcomes Jiu Jitsu expert Jake Johnston for an engaging conversation. They discuss the importance of self-defense in Jiu Jitsu, reflecting on Jake's path from a technically minded skateboarder to a seasoned Jiu Jitsu practitioner under the mentorship of Pedro Sauer. The episode covers Jake's early experiences with competitive Jiu Jitsu, memorable challenge matches, and the transformative impact of Jiu Jitsu on his students. Jake also shares his insights on the differences between competition-focused and self-defense-focused Jiu Jitsu, advocating for a balanced approach that emphasizes self-defense skills. Throughout the episode, Jake's anecdotes and reflections provide a deep dive into the values and principles that have shaped his Jiu Jitsu journey.
00:00 Introduction and Announcements
00:43 Meet Professor Jake Johnston
02:08 Jake's Journey into Skateboarding
03:54 Transition to Martial Arts
05:22 Discovering Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
07:09 Training with Pedro Sauer
14:39 First Impressions and Early Challenges
20:28 Competitions and Memorable Fights
26:16 Introduction to Personal Fights and Early Jiu Jitsu
27:11 First Real Fight Experience
28:39 The Mullet Guy and Other Challenge Matches
35:39 Impact of Jiu Jitsu on Students' Lives
42:56 The Philosophy of Jiu Jitsu and Competition
52:49 The Future of Jiu Jitsu and Its Influences