JIU JITSU LOU

Sam Gibson joins the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast with more than 20 years on the mats, a lifetime surrounded by martial arts and a career now built around coaching and training Jiu Jitsu.

Sam started at 12 when his dad decided he was spending too much time playing video games and took him to Jiu Jitsu. He didn't particularly enjoy getting beaten up by everyone at first, but he kept going. Today, Sam is a third degree Black Belt, teaches at ARMA Jiu Jitsu in London and runs Surrey Martial Arts Club alongside his dad and childhood friend...

Henry Halford joins the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast to talk competition, community, leg locks, travelling through Jiu Jitsu and why he wants to help more young people find their place on the mats.

After starting with Muay Thai and moving into MMA, Henry discovered that getting punched in his “pretty boy face” wasn't for him and fell in love with grappling instead.

Now training at 13th Dimension BJJ in Greater Manchester, Henry has become an active competitor. We talk about his experience at POME RAW, where he submitted five of his six opponents befo...

Dan Uyemura joins the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast as the Founder and CEO of PushPress - and a White Belt training at 10th Planet Las Vegas.

Dan has spent around 13 years building PushPress, but his journey began as an internet engineer working with startups, including MySpace. After being laid off, discovering CrossFit and opening his own gym, he quickly realised the software available to gym owners wasn't designed around the reality of running a gym.

Coaches want to coach. Instead, gym owners find themselves handling payments, administration, customer service, marketing and everything else...

For Episode 150 of the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast, Sid Khan joins me to talk about Jiu Jitsu, loss, community, business and the importance of giving back.

Sid started Jiu Jitsu at 40 after suddenly losing his mum and finding himself completely lost. A chance reconnection with his long-time friend Danny led to an invitation to come and train - and Jiu Jitsu gave Sid somewhere to channel what he was feeling.

Having practised different martial arts throughout his life, Sid found something unique in grappling. He talks about the release he found on the...

Steve Humphrey joins the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast as a Black Belt, coach and owner of Exemplar Martial Arts in Salisbury.

Steve came to Jiu Jitsu from a striking background after staying behind following a kickboxing class when his coach suggested he give Jiu Jitsu a try. Several hours of training later, he was hooked.

Maintaining consistency alongside a military career hasn't always meant training in the same place. Steve talks about finding opportunities to train wherever he could, walking into unfamiliar gyms with respect and recognising that there is something to learn...

Michela Antonello joins the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast as a White Belt in her mid-50s, proving that there really is no right age to start Jiu Jitsu.

Michela began training just a year ago after being encouraged onto the mats by her son. Already experienced in martial arts through Karate and committed to strength training and staying active, she wanted to continue growing older healthily and strongly - but initially wondered whether Jiu Jitsu was something her body, and even her brain, would be able to learn.

Those early months brought plenty...

Jarrell Garcia joins the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast with 17 years of experience on the mats, a 10th Planet Black Belt and a Jiu Jitsu journey that began after his older brother put him to sleep.

At 19, Jarrell started training MMA before gravitating towards Jiu Jitsu, and he has been remarkably consistent ever since. Now training at Renzo Gracie Rhode Island, he has a preference for No Gi but will happily put on a Gi whenever it means another opportunity to train. Technically, that also means this Black Belt still owns a two-stripe White Belt - a...

Pete Greenlaw joins the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast as he prepares to open Trust The Process Jiu Jitsu, a new academy in Bath.

After spending much of his working life in corporate recruitment, being made redundant twice in 2024 and experiencing health challenges alongside his wife Katy became the catalyst for a complete change of direction. Together they left the UK and moved to Thailand, giving Pete the opportunity to turn something that had always provided an escape from everyday life into something much bigger.

Pete shares his experience of training across So...

This is a very different episode of JIU JITSU LOU.

My training buddy Zoë Lundy recently found herself in a situation where she had to act - and the skills, confidence and instincts she has developed through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu suddenly mattered far beyond the mats.

In this special episode, Zoe tells me what happened in her own words.

We talk about the decisions she made in those moments, how she stayed composed and took action, and why she only stepped in when she realised there was nobo...

Lou Temlett celebrates three years of the JIU JITSU LOU Podcast with a special solo episode looking back at 145 episodes, the conversations, Jiu Jitsu and community that have shaped the journey so far.

When Lou started the podcast in September 2023, she didn't really know what it would become. What began as an opportunity to showcase her podcast hosting and production skills quickly developed into conversations with people across the Jiu Jitsu community, and a platform for sharing their stories and experiences.

Over those three years, Lou's own Jiu Jitsu has evolved to...

Ju Livesey returns to the podcast 90 episodes after we first spoke on Episode 54, this time from Thailand as a Black Belt and co-owner of Carlson Gracie Fight Club Phuket.

When Ju, Owen and their son Thiago moved from the UK to Thailand, opening another gym wasn't part of the plan. They wanted more time together as a family and an opportunity to build a different life, but after recognising something was missing, curiosity and spontaneity took over and another Jiu Jitsu community began to grow.

Ju shares the journey of building th...

Andy Harris returns to the podcast almost 100 episodes after we first spoke on Episode 47, this time as a Black Belt and Head Coach of Hybrid BJJ in Plymouth. Andy has been training Jiu Jitsu for over eight years and is a two-time British Open Champion at Brown Belt.

Andy shares how his own Jiu Jitsu has developed, from understanding and playing to his strengths in competition to the importance of building solid fundamentals throughout the belt journey. We talk about the hours he continues to put on the mats and why coaching and teaching are a...

Elisabeth Clay is a Black Belt and one of the most accomplished competitors in Jiu Jitsu, having competed at the highest level of the sport from an incredibly young age. Her journey has taken her from winning ADCC Trials at just 16 years old to continuing to chase World titles today.

Elisabeth shares the story behind those early years of competition and the expectations she has always placed on herself. We talk about her journey through the belts, why blue belt remains one of her favourites and how her Jiu Jitsu has continued to evolve as t...

Angie Vogel is a second degree Black Belt who has been training Jiu Jitsu for around 15 years. Alongside her husband Josh, Angie co-owns The Jiu Jitsu Company in Philadelphia and is also the creative force behind much of The Jiu Jitsu Company Fightwear.

Angie spent years watching Jiu Jitsu from the sidelines before eventually stepping onto the mats herself. What followed became much more than training, developing into a lifestyle, business and community. A significant injury during her journey also changed the way Angie approached Jiu Jitsu, moving her focus towards longevity, teaching and creating s...

Andy 'Hardy' Hardwick is Black Belt and has been competitive throughout his life. Taking part in every extracurricular sporting activity during childhood have given Andy his edge when it comes to getting to it and being the best he can be.

Owning and running a Jiu Jitsu gym with his best mate from school has been a way for Andy to direct his passion and commitment to sport and performance. He talks about the benefit of approaching performance from many different angles, for competition and longevity in training BJJ. Andy's drive to be the best he...

Mat Lane has a health & performance business and has brought his connection Frankie Ratford - Travelling Interior Designer, (BBC Interior Design Masters Season 7) in to support the continuation of Impact MMA, now known as Impact Martial Arts based in Salisbury.

Impact MMA has struggled making ends meet and the whole community are now pulling together to make a difference for the people that really need the support. Starting with a visual refresh both in the gym and online has been the first actions.

Hosting Royce Gracie in a recent seminar did gr...

Chelsea Leah has been a Black Belt for 12 years and has stepped up to be outside of her comfort zone to become the Chair of the Women's Committee for the UKBJJA. Chelsea has thrived in other similar roles in her life and brings a significant level of all round Jiu Jitsu experience and knowledge to the role.

Chelsea started BJJ at age 12 in 1999, and was one of the only females on the mats. She found ways to become resilient and confidence which now plays into all areas of her life as a Mother. Coach, Club O...

Chelsea Leah has been a Black Belt for 12 years and has stepped up to be outside of her comfort zone to become the Chair of the Women's Committee for the UKBJJA. Chelsea has thrived in other similar roles in her life and brings a significant level of all round Jiu Jitsu experience and knowledge to the role.

Chelsea started BJJ at age 12 in 1999, and was one of the only females on the mats. She found ways to become resilient and confidence which now plays into all areas of her life as a Mother. Coach, Club O...

Philip Wheeler is a Purple Belt, and has been in martial arts for most of his life and sees that competing is a fun day out, and a wonderful opportunity to make friends. He considers everyone he meets in BJJ as part of his wider family.

Philip helps fix people with a wide range of experience in Chinese and other medicines. He has a broad range of skills in the health industry and continues to be a well-rounded and knowledgeable practitioner. He is supported by coaches, family and other professionals in the community to get h...

Ben Johnston is a Black Belt training out of London Grapple who started with Muay Thai and continued to develop his ground game with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After changing clubs some time ago Ben started to see and appreciate BJJ with many more dimensions to improve his game.

There are some doppelgangers in this community and Ben has at least one in Gavin Stewart. When they happened to be matched on Leicester Grappling Series they made the most of the hype!

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Molly Lindsay is a Blue Belt, made her debut on ENYO 7 and joined Team South for ENYO 8 in April 2025. Molly has looked up to Vanessa English as a role model in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, together with Hayley Carter, Maddison Murphy, Gabby Kuliga and Zoe Lundy.

Molly has been in the sport of MMA for over 10 years and more recently BJJ she shares her deeper soul experience of martial arts, and as women we can find a very different version of ourselves in this sport. Molly advocates for women and mothers in the g...

Ste Henshall is a Black Belt, Founder of Ikigai Submission Grappling and Henshall Brazilian jiu Jitsu. Ste started his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu career accidentally when he thought he was walking into a Thai Boxing Gym. Today he still enjoys teaching and coaching in martial arts and supports to aim for us all to find something we enjoy doing.

It was only when Ste was promoted to Purple Belt that he felt like he had achieved a level of knowledge in Jiu Jitsu, however his favourite colour is black, primarily because he is now a Black B...

Sean Brewer is the Owner and Coach of Resilience Jiu Jitsu in Liverpool, a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and lives and trains with a stoma bag. Sean talks about the way he approaches coaching and making Jiu Jitsu as accessible as possible for people in his area.

Sean's story involves being told he may never train BJJ again after surgery due to Crohn's Disease. He really does demonstrate such positivity and resilience whilst maintaining values that are a true inspiration in life, and in the Jiu Jitsu community. Sean is a dedicated coach w...

Torrie O'neil-Strong is a Brown Belt, Founder of The Mighty Dames which is now almost a decade in existence. The Mighty Dames started as a Facebook group to be cheerleaders for supporting self-esteem and body confidence for women in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Torrie speaks of her BJJ journey and how she began to feel more comfortable in herself, travelling around the US and winning competitions.

Torrie knows that she can do good things, and trusts that her version of good is absolutely good enough. As The Mighty Dames approaches the ten year a...

Josh Aghdam is a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and started his love for the sport with a dream to be a professional wrestler. It turns out that his Dad was a high level freestyle wrestler. Unpicking the wrestling game to develop became a priority for Josh, however being able to sweep people from the upper body rather than from the legs became part of his advantage in BJJ.

Josh and his business partner Simon Price have been running a Jiu Jitsu school since 2017 having started and run successful businesses. Being a Personal Trainer o...

Amy Derwanz is a Brown Belt and was obsessed with Spong Bob, Sandy the Squirrel and Kara-te back when she was 4 years old, which started her martial arts dream. Amy now runs a Jiu Jitsu gym in Yorkshire that has respect for men and women in the area.

Amy has created a women's only camp that is affordable for women who are new or experienced in Jiu Jitsu, and is supported by a team around her to keep making the space grow. As part of the camps Amy teaches a relaxed Yoga session that is a...

Amber Whitston is a newly promoted Yellow and Black Belt training out of Southern Quarter Jiu Jitsu. Amber started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when she saw members of her family training and she particularly likes training and competing in a blue Gi!

Amber trains BJJ every day after school, coaching, training and cleaning mats after classes, and has a dream to travel and continue training and competing for the rest of her life. She talks about her time, and privilege to be on ENYO Grappling, more than once. Listen to the end and find out w...

Chris Fensom is one of the most experienced Jiu Jitsu commentators in the UK, a Black Belt and comes to the show with a vast amount of preparation and experience. Chris comes in hot with a list of 10 Controversial Jiu Jitsu Opinions.

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Jake Dante is a fellow podcaster, curator of BJJ Wiki and a Blue Belt learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on and off the mats. Jake shares his journey of showcasing great BJJ content and crediting the original content creators. Whilst he started training 11 years ago with one class a week, has increased his commitment over time together with consideration of his family. He truly has fun on the mats, and can be found singing at his Saturday morning class, sometimes to overcome the anxiety that is felt in the moment.

Feeling insecure when training Jiu Jitsu i...

Petra Russell is Ranked Number 4 in the World at Super Heavyweight, and Number 15 at Blue Belt overall. She is a fan of NoGi and uses her positive mindset and mental preparation to win her matches. We talk about training for longevity, and finding ways to focus on physical and mental wellbeing in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

There are so many fantastic heavyweight women showing up in the sport now that bring a different perspective to the sport. Whilst these divisions are growing, it is our responsibility to keep supporting either by taking part i...

Congratulations to newly promoted Adam Forster who is now a Brown Belt, and has lost all characteristics of a 'Purple Belt'.

Adam is a Viral BJJ Content Creator, because he broke his foot in an Absolute tournament in 2025! In that time he sat mat side to continue learning, and also started creating Jiu Jitsu content.

Adam shares his stories throughout his BJJ Belt promotions, competing, and his enjoyment at throwing himself into Absolute tournaments, as well as multiple division matches. He is confident at sharing his mistakes, especially if that give hi...

Stuart 'Stoomboy' Henderson is very much a voice in Jiu Jitsu and tells how he received his nickname. Stoomboy is the host and one of the main organisers of Young Subs. Young Subs have now hosted 11 shows in just over one year, and has big plans for an incredible Summer Camp.

Stuart is a Purple Belt that started many years ago and just hasn't stopped. He loves the Gi game and won many competitions in his early days at IBJJF and other organisations in many places around the world. We talk about the importance of f...

Chris Milton is a Brown Belt and a very significant part of the community that is Dragon's Academy. Chris shows up at many competitions and is a true competitor, unlike some of us hobbyists that occasionally show up at comps. He shares some incredible stories that will keep you engaged throughout the episode.

Chris has a skill of working out how to do things differently, especially if you have to tap out in training or a match. Asking your team mates and opponents for help, and equally supporting others is helping the community to grow.

E122: Yeliz Akwei - Blue Belt

Yeliz Akwei collaborated with her husband for holding her Muay Thai pads in exchange for starting Jiu Jitsu. After a confusing start in the sport, her interest was sparked by the Omoplata as it felt fun and intriguing. Continuing to do the hard thing that is learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is something parents do, and Yeliz is one of those people. Balancing the personal priority of parental wellbeing and prioritising the children is something many of us consider.

Yeliz role models the behaviour of choosing to...

Zoë Swift is a White Belt training out of Parity Martial Arts and so far has lost every match to submission. She shows up with resilience and tenacity to keep going on her competitive journey despite the initial setbacks. Zoë really is a role model for any of us in the early part of our BJJ careers. She also shares challenges in decision making for her study and work life.

Training has given Zoë balance for her life now she has embarked on an HR Apprenticeship. She is inspired by her partner, his challenges and grow...

Ellie Osborne began training in martial arts as a teenager and is now a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt and women’s coach at Ascend Jiu Jitsu. Now in her 40s, Ellie still brings the same rebellious spirit to her training — channeling it through sport, challenge, and the BJJ community she loves.

In this episode, we talk openly about what it’s like to train as women in our forties, including the physical and emotional challenges that can come with perimenopause. Ellie shares her honest journey through Jiu Jitsu, the importance of having a supportive husband...

Libby Genge faces the biggest match of her BJJ career against Sarah Galvo on Polaris 36 at Fairfield Halls Croydon on Saturday 7th March 2026. Having met Libby for KAIROS 3 she truly is already a winner, having walked away from that tournament with £2k back in 2025. Libby started her hobby life in dancing and quickly progressed to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with pink and purple Gi's.

Libby shares her personal journey starting out in jiu jitsu, challenges in the sport, the division between girls and boys, children and adults, and how to manage training with family members. Libby is...

Leo Coates is a four-stripe Blue Belt and started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu back in 2021, and comes from a Rugby background. Leo previously trained Judo as a child and that was his only introduction to martial arts. Due to injury Leo moved from his 20 years in Rugby to Jiu Jitsu, and wishes he started competing at White Belt.

Leo has a whole career based in the coffee industry and decided in 2025 to combine his love of Jiu Jitsu with his coffee experience, and now through sales gives back to the BJJ community supporting young people starting ou...

Graham Barlow is a Black Belt and co-author of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - The Ultimate Illustrated Guidebook with Seymour Yang. Graham talks about the collaboration for the beautiful illustrated book specifically aimed at White Belts in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, however we all love our copies, regardless of rank.

Graham talks about his background as a tech journalist, and his transition from years in Chinese martial arts to the ways of learning and progressing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He has found a way to appreciate investing in loss through his experience, as well a...

Josh Mensah is a Brown Belt and founder of The Grapple League. Supported by an incredible team they host events with a similar format to Grappling Industries with Round Robins. Josh explains some of the terminology and rules for competitions, especially for those of us that don't fully understand what goes on.

Josh started his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey in 2014. and shares some of the challenging times in his life where he now feels like he owes Jiu Jitsu for his progress and success. Listen to this episode to watch and hear the infamous 'Uncle J...