LifeJitsu: Art of Life

"We All Have Our Stuff, We Are All White Belts At Something" -- Judging Others vs. Understanding Others. This episode is designed for anyone seeking to conquer their ignorance and tendency to quickly rush to judge others. The words and ideas in this podcast are intended to inspire you to live more positively, to focus more on Goodness, to see and be Oneness with everything around you. The mindset of “God is All and All is God” is a powerful perspective that helps us live fully and completely and harmoniously in the present moment. This prism and paradigm is designed to empower and raise your vibration, to not just imagine your Highest Ideals and Best Self — but to BE those ideals, EXPRESS those ideals, EMBODY those ideals, LIVE those ideals. The biggest takeaway from this mantra and mindshift is this: Be quick to seek to understand others, slow to judgment. This frees us to live in greater harmony with others, to see the Divine in them, and also cultivate more inner peace, poise, grace, confidence, and radiance.

Frank Forza, Human Performance Optimizer, Philosopher-Poet, BJJ Black Belt and three-time IBJFF Masters World Champion, goes deeper into what mskes “working out” — in his case, six days a week— so amazing for us on many levels.

Alot of people feel lost, anxious, depressed, un-motivated and unworthy. How do we break the cycle? Today Frank Forza, himself a survivor of his fair share of storms, discusses techniques that have helped him and others rise above psychological stumbling blocks and self sabotages. Frank speaks from the heart, constantly striving for unique self-expression, valuing innovation over regurgitation. He shares mostly what he has lived in the trenches, rather than what he read in a book.

When Serendipity Strikes

When serendipity strikes, when you meet a total stranger and instantly hit it off as if you’ve known each other for many years, it leaves a wonderful and memorable tattoo on the mind. And so it was recently when a massive plate of salmon, being consumed at the table next to me, stole my attention.

It wasn’t the two pounds of salmon that captured my imagination; it was the 100-pound woman still eating the salmon 20 minutes later.

“How much salmon is she going to eat in one sitting?”

“How much salmon does she eat each week and how frequently?”

The questions tugged at me, so I stood up, opted to think out loud, and walked over and politely posed the inquisitions to her.

I met an extremely pleasant, thoughtful and enlightened woman who appeared to be of retirement age. The dominoes fell so fortuitously that here we were, a week or so later, recording a 90-minute podcast together. Joyce Gibson, an Energy Healer who has been immersed in enlightened and conscientious eating and living since the late 1960s.
Together Ms. Gibson and I discuss:

Healthy eating and living habits;

How do people north of 60- and 65-years old make peace with growing older, the fear of being alone, and death?

Why do so many humans think that 70 is old and that being sick, and in pain, and losing your memory is almost a foregone conclusion?

The psychology of words such as “older person” and “senior citizens” and “elderly”? Can we think of better, more optimistic descriptors?

Breathing your way out of stressful situations for a calmer heartbeat and peace of mind;

The power of Intentions;

How Death can be, in many ways, a measure of our Faith in God or whatever you believe is next.

What if you had to say goodbye forever to your greatest passion, your favorite work?

What if you had to say goodbye and finally move on and find something else -- either because of Father Time or circumstances outside of your control?

“What would I be without jiu jitsu?” Robert Drysdale says during the 2 and ½ hour podcast we recorded on Cinco de Mayo. “I’m able to picture myself, for a minute, without BJJ… I’m not chained to jiu jitsu.”

Over the years, in my own life, I have contemplated the same. Among other things, in 1995, major surgery on an artery ended my collegiate wrestling career, which threw my entire identity and sense of self into limbo.

More recently, during the past 9 weeks, the COVID-19 crisis has stirred in us a wide range of emotions. Highs and lows. Fear and Faith. And yet, as Napoleon Hill and many others espouse, every adversity overflows with equal opportunity and advantage. Within any chaos, if we look close enough, there are always seeds of positivity.

“I was depressed for about the first two weeks,” Drysdale said. “I had just signed a lease for a new gym in Henderson a week before the lockdown, so it was a horrible thing.”

By Week 3 of the government stay-at-home orders, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt legend started to adapt. Time to learn some new skills, he told himself. He started practicing on a guitar and regularly reading Shakespeare -- two things he had long targeted but never previously gotten around to because of his busy travels across the globe.

Everyone with a cell phone and a Facebook account is an expert on everything these days. But how do you REALLY know what you think you know? What are you basing your opinions on? Frank, who graduated with a degree in Philosophy from the University of Maryland, has always been particularly interested in a little-known branch of philosophy called “epistemology,” which is basically the study of “How Do I Know?”

Robert and I tackle a lot of topics herein -- both advocating the urgent need for more concerned citizens to set aside political ideologies and biases and avoid the tribalism that is viciously dividing Americans these days.

We reveal things about ourselves that many people don’t know. We try to draw wisdom from the COVID-19 challenge, we talk about countries we have visited, and the hard lessons we had to learn from being way too ultra-competitive on the mats.

“If someone scored a point on me,” Drysdale says, “I would lose my s___.”

A coach took him aside one day and sternly scolded him, “You need to calm the (expletive) down.”

There were low-points for both of us, and high points such as when Robert won the prestigious ADCC Submission World Championships absolute division.

“You wish you could freeze that moment,” he says. “Where do you get that high again? It’s a natural high you can’t replicate ever again.”

Although they grew up in different countries -- Claude Abrams in the U.K. and Frank Forza in the U.S. -- both healthy-living coaches have striking similarities in their life arcs. Both are former professional journalists; both men have experience interviewing and writing about some of the world’s best fighters; they are roughly the same age and have increasingly focused much of their present-day energy and passion on wellness and optimal health. Claude owns and operates Intelligent Strength gym in his homeland, while Frank teaches jiu-jitsu and wrestling, human performance coaching, and nutritional fitness to clients.

Claude and Frank share a strong fondness for plant-based nutrition, and their two-part conversation/podcast centers around habits of healthy living, ways to boost our Immune System and avoiding the “Magic Pill Mentality” that is contributing to growing global fears, chronic sickness and disease in the world. Most adults are well aware that more fruits, veggies and exercise would be good for them -- but how do we actually motivate and inspire people to experience a paradigm shift and FINALLY embrace healthier habits? If the current global crisis doesn’t spur more people to take greater responsibility for their health, to start committing to healthy changes, then what on earth will?

How and why does someone become a vegan or vegetarian? Why are some people so obsessed with eating and living plant-based? And how can vegans and vegetarians avoid being too dogmatic about their food philosophy -- and less judgmental toward their carnivore-loving friends?

Frank makes his case for “More apples, less needles,” and explores why so many people are sick and chronically ill in the U.S -- despite the country being far and away the most vaccinated in the world and greatest swallowers of prescription drugs in the world.

Do we want, as an international community, to hand over even more of our health -- the decisions, what is best for us -- to bureaucrats and “public health experts” claiming to know what is best for us than we ourselves do?

How much power over our health do we want to hand over to our government, big pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and Big corporations?

What’s going on with us and our health and where do we start to transform from an unhealthy nation overall into one filled with healthy livers?

This is Part 2 of a two-part series that both Frank and Claude hope will inspire ever-more people to take control of their health, to finally realize how much power they have over their spiritual, mental and physical health, and to start the journey to transformation today, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

Although they grew up in different countries -- Claude Abrams in the U.K. and Frank Forza in the U.S. -- both healthy-living coaches have striking similarities in their life arcs. Both are former professional journalists; both men have experience interviewing and writing about some of the world’s best fighters; they are roughly the same age and have increasingly focused much of their present-day energy and passion on wellness and optimal health. Claude owns and operates Intelligent Strength gym in his homeland, while Frank teaches jiu-jitsu and wrestling, human performance coaching, and nutritional fitness to clients.

Claude and Frank share a strong fondness for plant-based nutrition, and their two-part conversation/podcast centers around habits of healthy living, ways to boost our Immune System and avoiding the “Magic Pill Mentality” that is contributing to growing global fears, chronic sickness and disease in the world. Most adults are well aware that more fruits, veggies and exercise would be good for them -- but how do we actually motivate and inspire people to experience a paradigm shift and FINALLY embrace healthier habits? If the current global crisis doesn’t spur more people to take greater responsibility for their health, to start committing to healthy changes, then what on earth will?

How and why does someone become a vegan or vegetarian? Why are some people so obsessed with eating and living plant-based? And how can vegans and vegetarians avoid being too dogmatic about their food philosophy -- and less judgmental toward their carnivore-loving friends?

Frank makes his case for “More apples, less needles,” and explores why so many people are sick and chronically ill in the U.S -- despite the country being far and away the most vaccinated in the world and greatest swallowers of prescription drugs in the world.

Do we want, as an international community, to hand over even more of our health -- the decisions, what is best for us -- to bureaucrats and “public health experts” claiming to know what is best for us than we ourselves do?

How much power over our health do we want to hand over to our government, big pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and Big corporations?

What’s going on with us and our health and where do we start to transform from an unhealthy nation overall into one filled with healthy livers?

This is Part 1 of a two-part series that both Frank and Claude hope will inspire ever-more people to take control of their health, to finally realize how much power they have over their spiritual, mental and physical health, and to start the journey to transformation today, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

When Serendipity Strikes

When serendipity strikes, when you meet a total stranger and instantly hit it off as if you’ve known each other for many years, it leaves a wonderful and memorable tattoo on the mind. And so it was recently when a massive plate of salmon, being consumed at the table next to me, stole my attention.

It wasn’t the two pounds of salmon that captured my imagination; it was the 100-pound woman still eating the salmon 20 minutes later.

“How much salmon is she going to eat in one sitting?”

“How much salmon does she eat each week and how frequently?”

The questions tugged at me, so I stood up, opted to think out loud, and walked over and politely posed the inquisitions to her.

I met an extremely pleasant, thoughtful and enlightened woman who appeared to be of retirement age. The dominoes fell so fortuitously that here we were, a week or so later, recording a 90-minute podcast together. Joyce Gibson, an Energy Healer who has been immersed in enlightened and conscientious eating and living since the late 1960s.
Together Ms. Gibson and I discuss:

Healthy eating and living habits;

How do people north of 60- and 65-years old make peace with growing older, the fear of being alone, and death?

Why do so many humans think that 70 is old and that being sick, and in pain, and losing your memory is almost a foregone conclusion?

The psychology of words such as “older person” and “senior citizens” and “elderly”? Can we think of better, more optimistic descriptors?

Breathing your way out of stressful situations for a calmer heartbeat and peace of mind;

The power of Intentions;

How Death can be, in many ways, a measure of our Faith in God or whatever you believe is next.

Frank Forza, one of the first 3,000 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts, a 3x IBJJF Masters World Champion and former journalist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX5 News-Las Vegas, speaks with music promoter and impresario Zach Ryle for an indepth analysis of the upcoming Conor McGregor-Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone fight here in Las Vegas.

This is the second half of the freeflowing, fun and entertaining podcast that Frank Forza and Robert Drysdale recently recorded together. Definitely well worth the listen!

BJJ black belts Robert Drysdale and Frank Curreri Forza once again produce a fast-moving, thought-provoking LIFEJITSU podcast tackling a wide range of issues such as life philosophy, motivation and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. -- What’s the best age to start kids in jiu jitsu and how hard should you push them? Drysdale names the most talented jiu jitsueiro No one’s Ever Heard Of; What Airports Can Teach Us About Human Psychology; Drysdale talks admiration for a Jiu Jitsu star who dropped to his knees and cried as if a relative had died — because his brother lost a match; What’s the one thing all great MMA fighters have in common? Forza shares unforgettable insight from one of MMA’s top managers (Minute 28); When kids cry on the mats — and why it is sometimes a super positive sign; Drysdale recalls "The two days I felt like a God’ ... (Minute 31); Drysdale shares a profound parable that FRANK MIR recently told him involving two fisherman.

Suicides are skyrocketing, depression is rampant. How do we help people who feel lost, unmotivated, afraid? How do we shift their perspective, plant seeds that can change their habits -- reinvigorate their lives? Here are some stories, some methods, that I have seen transform people. Turning misfortune into empowerment. I've seen it happen. Ascending from the ashes .... my thoughts.

As I've learned in the Fight Sports, happy is over-rated. It really is. Happy tends to be short-term thinking. A donut might make you happy. Sleeping 12 hours a day might make you happy. But at what cost? Thinking bigger requires long-term thinking and planning. Know who you are, find your Why and your purpose, find meaning in your suffering ... and then build your legacy. At any price, any cost, any sacrifice. That's true lasting fulfillment, a legacy worth having. The quest for happy leads many astray ... many to feel lost. Because it's a stain that easily washes away.

Fascinating conversation with colon cleanse expert Cindy Mahealani Sellers, an encyclopedia of thought-provoking theories on holistic health and wellness. Enjoyed every second of picking this radically optimistic woman's brain and unique world view. Cindy definitely has me rethinking the human body and how to heal!

"Don't let the sun go down on your anger." When I was a teenager, the father of one of my best friends shared that powerful piece of advice (a passage from the Bible) with me. I never forgot it and have committed to it ever since. I see so many people trapped under the heavy weight of guilt, unable to forgive themselves or others. Haunted by the past, constantly rewinding and recycling the same negative energies, fears and anxieties. There's a better way. Here's my take on a very problem, along with solutions I've seen work for me and others. Every day is rich with opportunity. New day, New you.

The reality is, not all teammates like each other. Sometimes tensions flare and two athletes who train with each other nearly come to blows ... Here is the story of myself and fellow BJJ black belt Sean Spangler. It’s a fascinating look inside an Old School way of handling things ... a street code where you might battle someone but then Squash It. By no means am I glorifying violence — far from it — but I’ve witnessed so much violence in my lifetime ... and here are some of the key lessons learned from street fights, gym fights, teammate tensions, etc..

What's it like to be a hostage negotiator and investigate homicides in Las Vegas? How can you be a captive audience to so much violence and bloodshed yet protect your sanity and still see the glass as 1/2 full? In Episode 4, LifeJitsu's Frank Forza introduces you to life through the seen-it-all eyes of Tom Monahan (now the NHL Security Representative for the Las Vegas Golden Knights).

Cindy Mahealani is a fascinating woman, the kind of effervescnet person you meet and instantly wonder, "How'd she get so darn happy?" An encylopedia of the human body and its many functions, Sellers has hosted more than 60,000 colon cleanses at her Angel Farms estate in Hawaii. The average person, she says, loses between 7-14 pounds of gook, poo, parasites and worms that have been backed up in their colon. This major backup of poo leaves precious clues about each person and offers a fantastic opportunity to answer the question: "What should we really be eating and drinking?" Ms. Sellers, author of the book "You Don't Have To Hurt Anymore," is overflowing with positive vibes and provocative theories about unconventional paths to healing. She's an incredibly unique character, a brilliant mind, and she literally blew me away over the course of our 3-hour covnersation. What should we be eating? Are coconut and olive oils good for you? Sellers' theories about how to heal are riveting.

Talking (de)hydration, bodyfat percentages, the genius of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roy Jones Jr., legendary UFC VP Marc Ratner and the "Is a college degree worth it?" With Bernard Preston, a former Division I basketball player and amateur boxer who followed in his mother's footsteps and works with disabled veterans and people with special needs. Bernard, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, talks about moving from an all-black neighborhood into a virtually all-white neighborhood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the new basketball league he started in downtown Las Vegas.

Frank Forza, hungry for supreme Age Defiance and Disease Defense, has more than 32 years in the weight loss, weight management and nutrition space. The decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt talks the Keto Diet, veganism, and why neither has won his endorsement.

Luiz Oliveira didn't start his first business until age 50; now this late-blooming entrepreneur is taking the Las Vegas coffeehouse scene by storm. LifeJitsu's Frank Forza goes one-on-one with the Brazil-born brainiac who is redefining the coffee experience with a unqiue blend of Latin American sizzle and chic. What's the future of coffee? There are big changes on the horizon for the world's third-largest commodity (growing like wildfire in Asia, by the way). Oliveira, whose great grandfather ran a coffee farm, brings you up to speed on how fermentation is going to revolutionize the quality and taste of coffee.

Took me darn near 18 months but I finally caught up with Dr. Brooke Conway Kleven, a Las Vegas-based (married) mother of two, studying for her second doctorate, who is armed with amazing optimism and mental toughness as she heals from multiple brain surgeries and life-threatening complications that mystified doctors for most of the past decade. All at the tender age of 28. If you're looking for inspiration, zest for life and a Fighting Spirit, then you've come to the right place. Dr. Conway-Kleven has already survived a stroke and embodies the "one day at a time" wisdom. She is a super-determined odds-defyer, a woman who realized conventional medicine did not have all the answers and solutions to her medical problems -- so this gritty brainiac took matters into her own hands, became a relentless researcher and seeker of off-the-beaten path solutions. We talk about the "WHY" that fuels her, the prescription opiod epidemic in the U.S., the future of Functional Medicine, mindset and so mu

Great catching up with my old friend and BJJ mentor Robert Drysdale today. We enjoyed an extremely candid 80-minute conversation, mostly non-jiu jitsu related topics such as: The daunting task of balancing EGO in the quest for greatness; The 4 Mantras he makes his daughters, ages 5 and 7, repeat every day; The happiest people the 6’3”, 240-pounder has ever met; Being born in #Provo #Utah, raised #Mormon, and then moving to #Brazil; Robert, a jiu jitsu legend to many, is also pursuing a Master’s Degree at @unlv. We also discuss the rise of robots, dealing with entitled students and the tremendous value of pain and suffering.

Great catching up with my old friend and BJJ mentor Robert Drysdale today. We enjoyed an extremely candid 80-minute conversation, mostly non-jiu jitsu related topics such as: The daunting task of balancing EGO in the quest for greatness; The 4 Mantras he makes his daughters, ages 5 and 7, repeat every day; The happiest people the 6’3”, 240-pounder has ever met; Being born in #Provo #Utah, raised #Mormon, and then moving to #Brazil; Robert, a jiu jitsu legend to many, is also pursuing a Master’s Degree at @unlv. We also discuss the rise of robots, dealing with entitled students and the tremendous value of pain and suffering.

Ken Murray is a different dude; he is among the less than 1% of the human population who primarily eat fruit and consider it a ‘superior’ fuel. For the most part, the twentysomething Las Vegan lives off of foods such as melons, dates, oranges, berries, lemons and mangos. At his zenith, Ken estimates he was eating 10-15 pounds of fruit per day. He is a huge proponent of fasting, and recently finished up a 42-day fast where he consumed only citrus fruits — believing the fast raised his spiritual awareness and detoxifies his body. How much fruit is too much fruit? LifeJitsu founder Frank Forza has pondered that question many times. Frank is far from a Fruitarian, but is aware of famous fruitarians such as Steve Jobs and Boston Marathon runner Michael Arnstein (said to consume 30 pounds or so of fruit some days). Join us for this fascinating conversation as Forza looks at life through the eyes of a fruitarian who sees his nutrition lifestyle as a path to enlightenment. “There were people a