Podcast · Leisure & Travel

JIU JITSU LOU

by Lou Temlett · English · Leisure & Travel

Welcome to the Jiu Jitsu Lou Podcast. Hosted by Lou Temlett, this is a podcast about the people behind Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. From world champions, black belts and gym owners to white belts, community builders, coaches, entrepreneurs and everyday grapplers, these are honest conversations about th

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 45 min
Latest: 10 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

10 Oct 2026 · 46 min

E150: Sid Khan - Black Belt

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 mats, becoming fascinated by the technical side…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E149 · 3 Oct 2026 · 40 min
E149: Steve Humphrey - Black Belt
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 from almost everyone.…
E148 · 26 Sep 2026 · 50 min
E148: Michela Antonello - White Belt
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 of self-doubt. Michela talks openly about menopause,…
E147 · 19 Sep 2026 · 47 min
E147: Jarrell Garcia - Black Belt
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 - and occasionally wears it. But this conversation…
E146 · 12 Sep 2026 · 44 min
E146: Pete Greenlaw - Brown Belt
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 Southeast Asia before finding a home…
11 Sep 2026 · 30 min
Zoë Lundy - When Jiu Jitsu Became Real
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 nobody else there who could help and that other people could be injured. We also talk about staying safe,…
E145 · 5 Sep 2026 · 30 min
E145: Lou Temlett - Three Years of JIU JITSU LOU
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 too. She started the…
E144 · 29 Aug 2026 · 47 min
E144: Ju Livesey - Black Belt
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 the gym, creating opportunities for more women to train and…
E143 · 22 Aug 2026 · 46 min
E143: Andy Harris - Black Belt
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 also an important part of his own learning and…
E142 · 15 Aug 2026 · 51 min
E142: Elisabeth Clay - Black Belt
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 the level of competition, and her own experience, has…
E141 · 8 Aug 2026 · 51 min
E141: Angie Vogel - Black Belt
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…
E140 · 1 Aug 2026 · 41 min
E140: Andrew Hardwick - Black Belt
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 could be at every belt level and continues to…
E139 · 25 Jul 2026 · 38 min
E139: Mat Lane - (Re)DEFYNE Health & Performance
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 great things for bringing exceptional…
E138 · 18 Jul 2026 · 54 min
E138: Chelsea Leah - Black Belt
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 Owner and Referee. The discussion moves onto developing more a robust safeguarding…
E137 · 11 Jul 2026 · 45 min
E137: Philip Wheeler - Purple Belt
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 him to the upcoming first UFC BJJ Open in Vegas, after he gets…
E136 · 4 Jul 2026 · 40 min
E136: Ben Johnston - Black Belt
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! Topics: Muay Thai Black Belt Promotion BJJ Doppelgangers Details matter Injury recovery Preparation BJJ Persona Gi or Nogi Broken fingers…
E135 · 27 Jun 2026 · 49 min
E135: Molly Lindsay - Blue Belt
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 grappling world and has recently built the Female Fighters Collective.…
E134 · 20 Jun 2026 · 42 min
E134: Steven Henshall - Black Belt
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 Belt! Ste shares some wise words and positive attitude towards how…
E133 · 13 Jun 2026 · 50 min
E133: Sean Brewer - Brown Belt
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 with an intent to continue learning, as well as…
E132 · 6 Jun 2026 · 51 min
E132: Torrie O'neil-Strong - Brown Belt
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 anniversary in 2027, this year Torrie is…
E131 · 30 May 2026 · 43 min
E131: Josh Aghdam - Blue Belt
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 on the side of full time role gave Josh and in into running…
E130 · 23 May 2026 · 45 min
E130: Amy Derwanz - Brown Belt
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 accessible for any shape or size. Amy talks of the strategy and team dynamic of Team North from the recent…
E129 · 16 May 2026 · 39 min
E129: Amber Whitston - Yellow/Black Belt
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 why Amber appears on high level highlight reels with…
E128 · 9 May 2026 · 1 hr 15 min
E128: Chris Fensom - Black Belt
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. Topics: Grapple Worlds Commentating Meta of Jiu Jitsu Jiu Jitsu Belts Creativity Positional Training Long-Term Goals Coaches are not Therapists GO FOLLOW Chris on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/chrisfensombjj/ Official Partners of the podcast SoulTaker Fightwear: https://www.instagram.com/soultakerfightwear/ Watch on YouTube:…
E127 · 2 May 2026 · 44 min
E127: Jake Dante - Blue Belt
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 is something many of us feel and to…
E126 · 25 Apr 2026 · 44 min
E126: Petra Russell - Blue Belt
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 in competitions, or supporting fellow…
E125 · 18 Apr 2026 · 44 min
E125: Adam Forster - Brown Belt
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 him great viral content. 'Little Adam'…
E124 · 11 Apr 2026 · 48 min
E124: Stuart 'Stoomboy' Henderson - Purple Belt
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 families supporting your Jiu Jitsu journeys, especially as a child in this sport.…
E123 · 4 Apr 2026 · 44 min
E123: Chris Milton - Brown Belt
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. Topics: Dragon's Academy Judo Jiu Jitsu Competition…
E122 · 28 Mar 2026 · 40 min
E122: Yeliz Akwei - Blue Belt
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 do hard things, showing up at regular training and the…

About JIU JITSU LOU

JIU JITSU LOU is a English leisure & travel podcast from Lou Temlett. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Lou Temlett
Language: English
Category: Leisure & Travel
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 45 min
Latest episode: 10 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1706505043
Rights: Lou Temlett

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