Most gym owners spend years figuring out what kind of gym they want to run. Chris came in knowing exactly that — and he's spent 12 years proving it works.

In this episode, Alex sits down with Chris, owner of Cast Iron Jiu-Jitsu in Kansas City, Missouri. Chris spent 15 years as a union floor installer before getting laid off, getting two offers to open gyms, and taking them both. He sold his tools a year later and never looked back.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why Chris got into jiu-jitsu in the first place — and the promise he was made that he absolutely was not going to have to do it
• How he built Cast Iron around one clear mission: pure, high-level jiu-jitsu — not MMA, not McDojo, not a little of everything
• His take on the "friendly, competitive" model — why pros and beginners training together makes a stronger community than keeping them separate
• What he's learned from 12 years of watching kids grow up on the mats, and why that's the part that humbles him most
• His plan for expansion: grow to a certain size, open a second location nearby, and send 20–30 members with them on day one

If you've ever wrestled with what kind of gym you're building—and whether you can hold your standards without limiting who walks through the door—this one's for you.

Cast Iron Jiu-Jitsu is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and has been running since 2014. Chris trains under Hinato Tavares and competes in the Masters division at PANS.