On The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset, Pete Deeley speaks with the founding board of Veterans Breakthrough—Chris (Navy), Kyle Zipf (Marine Corps infantry), and Philip Marcum (Army 10th Mountain)—about how Brazilian jiu-jitsu supports veterans’ personal growth, accountability, and community. Chris explains the organization’s mission of empowering veterans from the inside out and how jiu-jitsu’s structure, discipline, and camaraderie mirror military experiences. Kyle and Philip share their initial skepticism of “jiu-jitsu saves lives” messaging, then describe being humbled on the mats, ego reduction, improved health and habits, and stronger mental well-being. They detail Veterans Breakthrough’s year-long jiu-jitsu scholarships, mentorship, annual retreats with training and “breakthrough” sessions, and how recipients can become mentors. They share how to apply or donate at veteransbreakthrough.org and promote their Mesa, Arizona tournaments (including a Nov. 7 no-gi event) and peer-to-peer fundraising.

In this episode

• 00:00 Welcome and Coffee Bit
• 01:03 Why Veterans Breakthrough
• 02:02 Mission and Jiu Jitsu Fit
• 04:04 Chris Military Background
• 05:14 Kyle Finds Jiu Jitsu
• 06:32 Philip Story and Growth
• 09:44 Getting Humbled on Day One
• 12:18 Ego Break and Mental Chess
• 14:17 Controlled Violence and Healing
• 16:52 Vulnerability and Vet Readiness
• 19:18 Scholarship Success Story
• 21:26 Jujitsu Lifestyle Spillover
• 22:38 First Scholarship Success Story
• 24:03 From Skeptic to Breakthrough
• 28:29 Breath Body and Mind
• 30:49 Scholarship and Mentorship Model
• 33:17 Retreats and Breakthrough Sessions
• 35:22 Favorite Submissions Rapid Fire
• 36:43 How to Join and Support
• 38:44 Volunteer Powered Wrap Up

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