"You're not in competition with anybody — you're just trying to get better than the person that walked in on day one."

What if the reason you're burning out, getting injured, or quietly losing confidence… isn't your age — but the way you define success?

Most men step on the mat trying to prove something.
They leave years later either broken, bitter, or gone entirely.

Most men don't quit Jiu-Jitsu because they're too old — they quit because their ego can't handle not winning.

This week with Rick Ellis, we break down why recovery is training, why intensity isn't discipline, and why the only real competition is you vs the man who walked in on day one.

If you want to train for decades — not just dominate for months — this episode will change how you measure success.

You can level up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/rickellis235/

In this conversation with Rick Ellis, you'll hear a completely different framework:

• Why taps don't matter as much as you think
• Why recovery is training
• Why ego — not ability — is what really slows progress
• And why the only metric that ever mattered… was you vs the old you.

🎙️ Meet Rick Ellis — Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, creator of The Art of Skill, and author of a guide built for grapplers who refuse to quit.

He didn't start at 20. He started at 41 — and cracked the code on how to train, improve, and stay dangerous without destroying your body.

If you've ever felt:

• Too old

• Not fit enough

• Behind everyone else

• Or quietly beating yourself up after a "bad session"

This episode might change how you train — and how you live.

Because this isn't really about jiu-jitsu.

It's about longevity. Identity. And redefining what winning actually means.

#rickellis #podcast #bjj #grappling #martialarts #oldergrapplers #oldergrapplerhandbook #artofskill #longevity #trainsmarternotharder #identity #killtheego #jiujitsu #whatsuccessactuallyis #redefinewhatwinningis #blackbelt #brazilianjiujitsu #dontburnout #injury #winthedecadenotjusttheround

I recorded an episode this week that stayed with me long after we stopped recording.

I sat down with James K. Ellis, a clinical psychologist known as The Loneliness Doctor, and we talked about something a lot of men feel but rarely say out loud — that quiet, gnawing sense of not quite fitting, even when life looks fine from the outside.

One of the biggest shifts from this conversation was realising that loneliness isn't a personal failure. It's not proof that you're broken. It's a signal — information your system is giving you about connection, meaning, and how your life is actually structured right now.

We talk about why you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely, why friendships get harder for men as adults, and why connection isn't dependency — it's humanity.

If you've ever felt that deep, quiet ache… this conversation will land.

You can level up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/jameskellis234/

You'll leave feeling less broken, more grounded, and clearer on how to build real connection as an adult.

🎙️ Meet James K. Ellis — a clinical psychologist focused on modern loneliness, helping people build real connection without shame, fluff, or quick fixes.

#jameskellis #loneliness #socialisolation #lonely #lonelinessisnotapersonalfailure #lonelinessisasignal #connection #betterfriendships #lonelinessdoctor

How to build Real Confidence through Pressure | Discipline, Fatigue & Mastery with Owen Livesey

"You don't rise to the occasion — you default to whatever you've trained when you're exhausted." — Owen Livesey

What if the reason most men fail isn't talent, technique, or motivation — but their inability to stay consistent when nobody's watching?

🎙️ Meet Owen Livesey — world-class pressure grappler, former elite judoka, and coach known for breaking opponents with simplicity, fatigue, and control rather than flashy techniques.

In this conversation, Owen Livesey breaks down how relentless fundamentals, pressure, and long-term discipline quietly beat flash, hype, and shortcuts — on the mat and in life.

Level up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/owenlivesey233/

This episode will show you why most men train harder — but very few train smarter under pressure. From Olympic dreams to rebuilding his life, Owen explains how showing up daily, mastering fundamentals, and training tired is what separates real operators from pretenders.

#owenlivesey #grappling #bjj #competing #podcast #nextlevelguypodcast #pressure #discipline #bjjgame #olympics 'longtermdiscipline #fundamentalsbeatsflashy #judo #trainsmarternotharder #masterthefundamentals #winonthemats #smarterunderpressure #traintowin #winonthematsandlife