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Deep Dives & Episode Library
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David Herrera on Rewiring the Grappling Training Environment — UV, Infrared, Green Light, 55°F | EP117
David Herrera — @DavidHerrera1119, @thesolarathlete, two-time state champion wrestler, multiple world record powerlifter, and the man actively rewiring a high school wrestling facility with UV, infrared, green light, and 55-degree training temperatures — on why the environment is the drug, what the Russians know about training facilities that American gyms don't, and why every grappling room in the world should be doing this.
Ethan Okunas on Quantum Nutrition, Deuterium in Your Food, DHA as a Quantum Molecule & Why Food Is Fifth | EP116
Ethan Okunas — @quantum.dietitian, purple belt, author of Quantum Weight Loss and Quantum Nutrition — on why food is fifth on the priority list, deuterium in your food supply, DHA as a quantum molecule, the broken engine analogy for modern health, and why the supplement industry is selling you complexity to avoid the conversation about reconnecting with nature.
Mathew Veiga on A3, The Alpha Dad Going Extinct & One Life — Oss Nation BJJ EP115
Professor Mathew Veiga — @oss_nation_bjj, creator of the Oss Nation BJJ page, co-host of the BJJ Balance podcast, and the funniest man in jiu-jitsu — on going viral as an A3, why the alpha dad is going extinct, keeping the locker room alive in this sport, and what staying dangerous after forty really means when the body is beat up and the mojo is required.
Light Is Priority #1 — Nathan Siles Part 2 on Testosterone Reset, Buteyko, Mastic Gum & Biospectral | EP114
Nathan Siles returns for Part 2 — biophysics researcher, two-time cancer survivor, founder of Biospectral Systems — on resetting testosterone naturally through light, the right way to breathe for longevity, why supplements are a downstream solution to an upstream problem, and the new Biospectral products that are about to change how we think about indoor environments.
My Goal Was Never to Build Champions — Professor Kenny Kim on Mat Made, The Jiu-Jitsu Millionaire & Self-Discipline EP113
Professor Kenny Kim — @KennyKimBJJ, head of Kenny Kim Academy in Marietta, GA, creator of the Mat Made show, author of The Jiu-Jitsu Millionaire, president of the Korean American Jiu-Jitsu Coalition, and curator of the world's largest BJJ gym directory — on building people over champions, the stories jiu-jitsu deserves to tell, and the one thing that governs everything else.
10th Planet Atlanta, Min-Maxing No-Gi & Depth of Mastery — Sean Applegate EP112
Sean Applegate — @Trapplegate10p, head coach of 10th Planet Atlanta, PGF Twisters coach, 10th Planet black belt — on building one of the most dominant no-gi rooms in the country, min-maxing the meta, why depth of mastery is the most undervalued concept in jiu-jitsu, and choosing to pour into his athletes over chasing ADCC himself.
58 IBJJF Golds, a Hip Replacement at 50, and Still Competing at 52 | Brian Edwards on Overtraining, TRT & Your Second Prime EP111
Brian Edwards — 58-time IBJJF gold medalist, two-time Masters World Champion, three-time Pan Masters World Champion, black belt under Tim Jones, founder of Swamp Fox Jiu-Jitsu, 19 years on the mats, hip replacement at 50, and still competing — on why midlife is your second prime and the only thing worse than not training is overtraining.
Nature Makes No Mistakes: Light Biology, Sleep Sanctuary & Health Sovereignty — Nathan Siles | EP110
Nathan Siles — founder of Biospectral Systems, biophysics researcher, two-time cancer survivor, and one of the most important voices in the ancestral health and light biology space — on why you are already perfect, how light controls everything from testosterone to autophagy, and why health is free while fear is a choice.
He Brings the Mats to You | Purple Heart Retired Marine Michael Cragholm EP 109
Michael Cragholm — retired Marine, Purple Heart recipient, Battle of Fallujah veteran, BJJ black belt, founder of Space Coast Mobile Jiu-Jitsu and creator of Grapple App — on the don't-get-slept-in-front-of-your-family starter pack, the Zach Morris timeout, and why consistency is the most intense thing you can do.
The Four Golden Rules for BJJ Over 40 | Manny Alonso EP 108
Coach Manny Alonso — professional kickboxer, MMA fighter, 18 years in jiu-jitsu, founder of Maca Martial Arts in Austin, Texas — on the four golden rules, the goldfish grip, why staying on top ages better than anything else, and what it means to build a gym around pure vibe.
Coaching Philosophy, Sobriety & Staying Dangerous After 40 — Mike Stewart Jr. | EP107
Mike Stewart Jr. — founder of Rising Tide Martial Arts, black belt since 2019, lifelong martial artist who opened his school as a white belt and built it into five locations through sixteen years of disciplined, unglamorous, relentless work — on coaching without rolling, sobriety, and what staying dangerous after 40 actually means.
Extreme Ownership, Recovery at 50 & Tenacity — Kodiak Fields Two-Time World Champ | EP106
Kodiak Fields — two-time world champion gi and no-gi, Fight Sports Miami, Vagner Rocha Martial Arts regular, BJJ Fanatics instructor, and one of the most thoughtful voices on what it looks like to compete at the highest level while building a real life alongside it — on staying on the mats approaching 50, extreme ownership, and the commitment you owe to yourself.
Be Resilient: Professor Larry Shealy on Rickson Gracie, Cardiac Arrest on the Mats & Mach5 BJJ Union | Josh Button Exclusive
Professor Larry Shealy — 4th degree black belt under Rigan Machado, founder of Hendo BJJ, co-founder and president of the Mach5 BJJ Union — on being introduced to jiu-jitsu by Hickson Gracie himself, dropping dead on his own mats in 2009, and why the mat is where you learn that yesterday doesn't count for anything.
The 3-Pillar Drug Free Hormone Reset Every BJJ Fighter Over 40 Needs
No clinics. No TRT. No shortcuts. The complete sleep, nutrition, and training system for the midlife combat athlete — peer-reviewed, field-tested, and built from fifteen years of refusing to let midlife mean decline.
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu, Crocodile Passing & Natural Performance at 46 — Gile Huni | EP105
Gile Huni — founder of BJJ Eastern Europe, creator of Sloth Jiu-Jitsu, author of multiple e-books, developer of the Crocodile Passing instructional, head instructor at Kimura BJJ Serbia, and one of the most aligned voices in the global midlife grappling community — on building a game you can train forever, the natural performance stack that keeps him competing at 46, and why the person who never quits always outlasts the athletic kid who does.
Staying Dangerous After 40: Professor Kevin Figueroa on BJJ Community, Modulation & Discipline | EP104
Professor Kevin Figueroa — black belt under Tom Reusing at Gracie Barra Riverside, industrial electrician, competition team coach, grandfather at 44, and one of the most grounded voices on what it actually takes to stay on the mats when life is pulling from every direction.
BJJ Injury Prevention, Sleep & Recovery for Midlife Grapplers — Open Mat Physio | EP103
Dr. Diana Wang and Dr. Kris Martin of Open Mat Physio — physical therapists who are also grapplers — on the real reason midlife BJJ athletes disappear from the gym, the four recovery non-negotiables that actually work, and why intention and sleep are the two words that change everything.
High Cholesterol Is Not the Villain: What Your Doctor Isn't Telling You About LDL
The diet-heart hypothesis was built on cherry-picked data from 1960. The science has moved on. The guidelines haven't.
Gi vs. No-Gi, Ecological Dynamics & BJJ Over 40 Longevity — Professor Jay Pages | EP102
Professor Jay Pages — founder of one of Arizona's premier no-gi academies, BGJ Revolution Carlson Gracie veteran, and one of the most honest voices in the gi vs. no-gi conversation — on the physical cost of over-reliance on the gi, why ecological dynamics is not the debate people think it is, and why fun is the most underrated training principle in jiu-jitsu.
Cellular Nutrition, Staph in BJJ & Why Your Moisturizer Doesn't Work — Benjamin Fuchs RPh | EP101
Benjamin Knight Fuchs, RPh — pharmacist, skin chemist, founder of Truth Treatments, and one of the clearest voices in the cellular nutrition space — on why all disease begins at the cell, why staph and MRSA in grapplers trace back to the gut, why your moisturizer is making your skin worse, and why empowerment is the only medicine that matters.
