Professor Elan Walshe thought he had life figured out — a driven career, a beautiful family, and a lifetime of competitive sport, from college football and high-level rugby to sponsored cycling. Then he brought his sons to Gracie Barra San Clemente, watched from the sidelines, and finally stepped on the mat at 37. "I had no idea how off course I was."

Now a black belt and the owner of Gracie Barra Costa Mesa, Elan talks with Pete about what jiu-jitsu did to his ego, the teacher whose example still guides him, why he cares more about bettering lives than winning medals, and the time he offered a training partner's whole family a place to stay during a government shutdown — and what he learned years later at that friend's black belt ceremony. He also remembers Eric Von Frohlich, the brown belt who trained through Parkinson's, and explains the superhero name he'd give himself: the thoughtful gorilla.

In this episode

• 00:00 Opening: Professor Elan Walshe in his own words
• 00:36 Welcome + the Submission Coffee camp and the app
• 01:39 Meet Professor Elan Walshe
• 01:56 Chapter 1 — Off Course: if jiu-jitsu never came along
• 03:20 Cycling, rugby and two years on the sideline
• 03:48 "I had no idea how off course I was"
• 05:28 When does the self-reflection kick in?
• 06:23 Chapter 2 — Submit to the Process
• 07:47 What opened him up: family at Gracie Barra San Clemente
• 08:48 Enjoy the ride — don't force it
• 09:51 White belt mistakes: the mats don't lie
• 11:19 Starting late and a different kind of doing your best
• 12:44 Chapter 3 — Would Felipe Be Proud? The teacher, Professor Felipe Guedes
• 14:39 "Would Felipe be proud of me?"
• 15:13 Bonds you can't build anywhere else
• 17:05 Rugby vs. jiu-jitsu: you can't hide
• 17:57 Horses, healing, and what happens up close
• 20:19 Being a good training partner
• 21:55 Every roll is a gift both ways
• 22:35 Chapter 4 — Better Lives, Not Medals: the role of competition in a community
• 24:56 Better lives over medals
• 27:32 His one tournament: "I won — and didn't feel proud"
• 29:38 Chapter 5 — The Rolls You Never Forget
• 31:40 Marines from Camp Pendleton
• 33:09 Day one: Felipe floats him like a magic show
• 34:29 Chapter 6 — Be That Person: the FBI friend and the government shutdown
• 36:25 At the black belt ceremony: "Be that person"
• 38:27 Echoes that last a lifetime
• 41:37 The kids are always watching
• 42:48 The teacher is the first medicine
• 45:03 Chapter 7 — One More Story: remembering Eric Von Frohlich
• 48:24 Gratitude: there's always someone carrying more
• 50:28 480 months left
• 51:13 Chapter 8 — The Thoughtful Gorilla
• 52:29 Feed the good dog
• 53:11 Keep telling these stories

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