Welcome to Beyond the Belt, a podcast that explores the intersection of Brazilian Jiujitsu and everyday life. In each episode, we sit down with black belts who don’t have Jiujitsu as their primary source of income. They are practitioners (and sometimes also coaches) who balance their love for BJJ with successful careers, family life, and personal passions.
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Bunmi Ojewole, Black Belt, Orthopaedic Surgeon, MMA Fighter – Beyond the Belt #16
Bunmi Ojewole is a black belt out of Cape Town, South Africa. Bunmi is a doctor and currently finishing up her training to become an orthopaedic surgeon. In her spare time, she also fights MMA and dances Kazumba and Bachata. She is one of first few female black belts in South Africa.
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Stephan Kesting, Black Belt, Firefighter, Author, Podcaster, Outdoorsman – Beyond the Belt #17
Stephan Kesting is a black belt out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Stephan is a fireman, outdoorsman, podcaster, author, and BJJ instructor and OG jiujitsu content creator. He is currently making the rounds promoting his new book, “Perseverance, Life and Death in the Subarctic.”
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Mike McLean, Black Belt, Artist, Poet, Teacher – Beyond the Belt #18
This is a conversation with Mike McLean, a black belt out of Torquay, Victoria, Australia. Mike is an artist who focuses mostly on painting on reclaimed materials. He has painted hundreds of thousands of Wagtails that have made it around the world. He’s also an art teacher and a poet.
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Gorka Uztarroz, Black Belt, Comic Artist, Repatriator – Beyond the Belt #19
This is a conversation with Gorka Uztarroz, a black belt out of Paris, France. Gorka is an artist who likes to focus most of his creative energy on comics. He also works for a medical repatriation company.
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Jimmy Park, Black Belt, Entrepreneur, Climber, Photographer, Bonsai Stylist – Beyond the Belt #20
Jimmy Park is a black belt of New York, New York, USA. Jimmy is a climber, photographer, and Bonsai stylist. He is also an entrepreneur who runs Opascope, his digital marketing agency.





