Jiu Jitsu as a Life Pivot: Humility and Persistence | The Splendid Savage Professor Carlos Reyes
Jun 26, 2026Host Pete Deeley welcomes Professor Carlos Reyes (“Splendid Savage”) to The Jiu Jitsu Mindset and shares updates on the new jiu-jitsu-only social app My Jiu Jitsu Journey and Submission coffee. Reyes explains how faith and jiu-jitsu redirected his life away from trouble, describing early experiences of being humbled—especially being repeatedly tapped by a much smaller blue belt—which opened him to learning. He discusses how jiu-jitsu builds honesty, resilience, and habits that carry into daily life, and offers a balanced view of competition as optional but valuable for managing stress and chaos. Reyes recounts a key roll with a gloved MMA fighter that refocused him on self-defense over medals, and advises newcomers to “date” gyms, seek supportive culture, and learn core principles like base and connection. He shares a student transformation story marked by major weight loss and growing confidence.
In this episode
- 00:00 Welcome and App Plug
- 01:42 Life Without Jiu Jitsu
- 04:31 First Hooked Experience
- 06:58 Humility and Honest Growth
- 12:13 Jail Wake Up Call
- 16:10 Incremental Habits Shift
- 17:31 Competition and Chaos
- 26:16 Most Memorable Rolls
- 28:39 Medals to Survival
- 30:40 Sport Gym Culture
- 31:53 Choosing Your Gym
- 37:36 Principles Over Moves
- 39:52 Embracing Failure
- 43:46 Virtuous Cycle Story
- 51:21 Splendid Savage Identity
- 52:44 Where to Find Him
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