DOJO CEO

How a blue belt built a 250-student BJJ school in a country town — and why "not enough people" is the excuse killing most school owners. When Luke Burnham took over a struggling BJJ school in Mildura, he was a fresh blue belt in a regional Australian town of 50,000 people. Ten years later, he runs the biggest jiu-jitsu academy in town — 250 students, a First Nations scholarship program, and a full...

Why the "life skills" from martial arts don't automatically transfer — and how coaches can build students who thrive off the mat. Every coach says martial arts builds resilience, focus, leadership, and grit. Dr. Jarrell Garcia's PhD research says something more uncomfortable — those skills don't automatically transfer to real life. In this episode, Nick Cownie sits down with Dr. Jarrell Garcia — A...

How one man built a global BJJ retreat business from a mining shift — and why the funnel that works is simpler than you think. Luke Fraser was working week-on, week-off in Australian mining when his mum — a travel agent — got sick of him talking about starting a business and put down a deposit on 15 hotel rooms without telling him. Five years later, BJJ Escapes has run 13 sold-out retreats with co...

Inside the wild west of martial arts — exposing the frauds, the cults, and the business systems that separate real schools from McDojos. For 13 years, Rob Ingram has run McDojo Life — the most followed and most feared page in martial arts. He's exposed hundreds of frauds, written a book, helped run Academy Safe, and is now filming a feature documentary with Jocko Willink as executive producer. In...

She Fixes UFC Fighters’ Minds — Here’s What She Sees Behind the Scenes What if the thing holding your athletes — and your business — back isn't strategy, talent, or training volume… but their nervous system? In this episode, Nick Cownie sits down with Briana Bowley, the nervous-system specialist trusted by UFC fighters, world-class athletes, and high-pressure professionals around the world. Briana...

The real story of how an unknown Sydney BJJ coach and his content partner went viral—proving real jiu-jitsu still wins online—and what your school can learn from it. Two years ago, Chris "Bones" Burns was teaching small BJJ classes on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Then Sheila from Jiu Jitsu Socials picked up her camera — and everything changed. This episode breaks down the viral rise of a coach who i...

Why do most BJJ gyms lose kids? The kids program that's quietly killing your retention — and the simple shifts that turn it into your biggest growth engine. Most martial arts schools treat their kids program like a side hustle. The result? Burned-out coaches, frustrated parents, and kids who quit by 13. In this episode, Nick Cownie sits down with Ellee Beckman — founder of The Arte of Coaching, fo...