"I Almost Died Twice” - Surviving Crackland with Jiu Jitsu (with Lael Rodrigues)
Alright. Welcome everyone to the Lion Counseling Podcast. I'm Mark Oddlin, founder of Lion Counseling and certified EMDR therapist. Our mission is to help men obtain success, purpose, happiness, and peace in their career and their personal lives. And today, I'm joined by Lyle Rodriguez, owner of Superior Jiu Jitsu.
Mark Odland:In our conversation together, we'll discuss topics like success, overcoming adversity, manhood, and, of course, the superpower of Jiu Jitsu. Alright. Welcome back, everyone. If you're looking for help in your life, reach out to us at escapethecagenow.com or check out the link in the description box. My guest today, Lyle Rodriguez, is a man with many talents.
Mark Odland:He's a singer, photographer, a business owner, and yes, a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu. Some of you might know him from the jujitsu documentary titled The Saint of Crackland, and some of you might know him as that guy who choked you out at a recent jujitsu tournament. But I know him as my jiu jitsu professor and all around good guy. So, Lyle, thank you so much for being on the podcast.
Lael Rodrigues:Thanks for having me, man. This is all the a good platter. Thanks for the introduction. This is awesome. And first of all, I wanna say sorry for my accent for people that are gonna be listening.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm gonna be listening for Brazilian talking, like, for an hour. It's all good.
Mark Odland:It's all good. We're gonna pull in some of that MMA jiu jitsu people into this podcast now.
Lael Rodrigues:Oh, so so they're gonna get used to.
Mark Odland:You've already got street cred being from Brazil, so we'll we'll we'll go with it.
Lael Rodrigues:Thank you.
Mark Odland:Well, I guess maybe this to start out, so you're from Brazil. Did did you did you grow up in Sao Paulo?
Lael Rodrigues:No. I'm from a different place in Brazil. It's from the Northeast. My home state is called Bahia. This is where, Brazil actually started.
Lael Rodrigues:So my state is the oldest state in Brazil.
Mark Odland:Okay.
Lael Rodrigues:So my my state in Brazil kinda have, like, the same vibe as Louisiana. It's like your own culture. Okay. A lot of black people. So we have a really nice story, back there.
Lael Rodrigues:And I was born in Salvador. That's, the capital city of Bahia. But when I was 14, my family moved to the countryside of Bahia. So it was like 150 miles away, but it was completely different. It's like night and day.
Lael Rodrigues:Wow. Salvador is the coast. So we have the coast life of the beach and the warm water, all of that. So the life is like towards the water. Nice.
Lael Rodrigues:And then when I moved to this country city, it's called Coitea. The city is completely different. It's dry and it's kinda, like, cold ish. So it was, like it's really different. So I I learned a whole different, like, culture moving just a 50 miles away from my hometown.
Lael Rodrigues:And then when I was, 22, I moved to Sao Paulo to start the social program that I did for training years.
Mark Odland:Wow. Okay. So I when did you, discover jujitsu?
Lael Rodrigues:I started jujitsu when I was 18. So to have a background, I grew up being a super nerd kid. My dad's a pastor and I grew up in this environment of church. I wasn't a sport person at all until I was 17. So when I was 17, I was always trying to like be more social and then have friends at the same age.
Lael Rodrigues:And, of course, all of them, they they used to do stuff that I wasn't doing. So, like, video games, I I never played. I don't play until nowadays. But all my friends are doing that, and they're, like, doing sports together. And I was I I suck at soccer.
Lael Rodrigues:All Brazilian play soccer. I suck. Like, I I'm terrible at. And I was trying to play with them. I wasn't walking.
Lael Rodrigues:So I started to say, okay. What about we start something new together? Let's let's start playing rugby, in the countries of Bahia. No one even know what rugby was it. And I said, no.
Lael Rodrigues:Let's start playing that. So because all of us are gonna be on the same level.
Mark Odland:Sure. Sure.
Lael Rodrigues:So we stopped playing rugby together. We're not on seven teams. But even if we we we started, like, on the same level, rugby level, they had a a way better conditioning than me because they've been playing sports forever. Right. So I lacked this conditioning.
Lael Rodrigues:My body was really weak and, had, like, low cardio. I was, like, dying just to walk. I was really sedentary. But that was really because in 2017, I was learning all this stuff. So, like, how to play instruments, how to talk, stuff like that.
Lael Rodrigues:That helped me a lot during my life. But my sports career started when I was 17 with rugby. And then I I was looking for something to help me to get a better conditioning to play rugby. So when I got into rugby, I I started doing, like, really seriously. And I saw as an opportunity to to change my life.
Lael Rodrigues:So I was in college doing, I was studying another thing and then I had to, a big switch because of sports. So when I started doing sports, my life completely changed. Started with rugby and then I started judo actually to help them with the conditioning. But judo for adults is really hard. So I was like 18, 19.
Lael Rodrigues:And they're saying like, oh, you're too old for that. Like, you shouldn't do jiu jitsu. I was, no, man. I like judo. Judo is traditional.
Lael Rodrigues:I wanna do judo. I wanna be a judo black belt. And I did judo for a long time too. But jiu jitsu is more for adults. So I end up starting jiu jitsu because I was looking for judo, and I wasn't fighting.
Lael Rodrigues:So it wasn't like I didn't have a a good first impression about jiu jitsu. And I know, like, most everybody has objections about it. So I said, no. This is, like, for. People are just they're too violent.
Lael Rodrigues:They just fight. They have no technique. This is not good. And, of course, back back in the day, not nowadays, but back in the day in Koita, the people that used to do jujitsu, they they're not like they don't have good famous. They don't have good names.
Lael Rodrigues:So people are talk bad about stuff they are doing outside jujitsu.
Mark Odland:Okay.
Lael Rodrigues:So I have this natural connection with that. But, skipping forward, so I was playing rugby, tried to to be in, like, in a high level. I went to college to play rugby. I got back to Salvador. That's my hometown.
Lael Rodrigues:I was doing college there, and I was doing jiu jitsu just for pho. Mhmm. Like, twice a week, once a week, just for pho. And then I got my blue belt because I was a white belt for almost three years. So and then I got my blue belt.
Lael Rodrigues:I moved to to Sao Paulo because I moved to Sao Paulo to start my a social program with sport. So this there was this social program that is this there in Sao Paulo in the crackland of Sao Paulo with adults. And people, they are looking to for someone to work with kids. And I used to work with kids. I was I was teaching at school, like, a PE teacher, a physical education teacher.
Lael Rodrigues:But, like, for small kids, four or five years old. I was really young. So I that was, like, my internship, when I was at college. And, I said, oh, yeah. I had some kind of experience I can help.
Lael Rodrigues:I play rugby. I love rugby. I'm in a high level right now. I'm passionate about it. Let's do something with rugby that's gonna work.
Lael Rodrigues:And it turns out that it didn't. So I was trying to do something with work in in Brazil, and it's like, oh my god. It's not walking. It was not walking. And this guy, for another state, he's a black belt.
Lael Rodrigues:He said, man, if you trade jiu jitsu, even if as a blue belt, if you start something with jiu jitsu, you're gonna see jiu jitsu is really better. It's gonna be way more effective for what you want. And I was I'm I'm I'm not that stubborn right now, but I I used to be really stubborn. I was like, bro, no. You're tripping.
Lael Rodrigues:No. You you can't be right. Now jujitsu is really expensive. I don't have the gear. I don't have man.
Lael Rodrigues:I have space. Blah blah blah. Was putting a lot of excuses to not do what he was saying. And then he said, okay. I'm gonna show to you.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm gonna prove to you that I'm right. So he left his house. He got, like, a one month vacation from work. He went to Sao Paulo. He started the classes.
Lael Rodrigues:He got donations for mats, for the first mat. He got donations for the first skis. So he got, like, enough to teach 10 kids. And this is how it started. So he started for this month, and then he got back to his city.
Lael Rodrigues:And then I saw, yeah, that actually was. Wow. In one month, he did way more than I did in eight months with rugby. And then I started, like, teaching. And that was the moment that I usually to start, like, changing my life.
Lael Rodrigues:This is when like, I can say like my first three years I was just going to jujitsu, not doing jujitsu. I was just going there. I was really resistant. Yeah. And then when I I start teaching, I saw a different opportunity now as easy as jujitsu to connect with the kids and connect with the people.
Lael Rodrigues:You know? Of course, it reached my goal with the social program that was like help people to to have a better life in Krakow and Brazil. So this is how I I can say that I start actually doing jiu jitsu when I was a blue belt and was teaching already.
Mark Odland:Wow. There's there's then there's hope for me, Lyle, because
Lael Rodrigues:I only train once or
Mark Odland:twice a week, and I I'm almost to my blue belt. So, you know Uh-huh. Mhmm. I'm starting a little older than you, though. But
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. But I'm all I'm always saying that to people who have, like, different phases in life. So sometimes we're gonna have more time to the the devote for training and stuff. And then, of course, you need, some, purpose. Right?
Lael Rodrigues:So Yeah. I think what actually changed was the purpose. So I didn't start jujitsu for a personal reason. Right. My reason was oh, I I'm always training because I want to help people.
Lael Rodrigues:So I have a bigger purpose than myself.
Mark Odland:That's right.
Lael Rodrigues:I don't know if that makes sense. So I start and I'm dedicating my life. I want to learn more because of my students. So having people to take care of, those are my responsibility. Right?
Lael Rodrigues:So that made me go deep, like deep in jujitsu. Now it's completely different. I can't disassociate my life from jujitsu right now. But, like, when I started everything started because I was looking a way of helping other people, helping other kids. You know what saying?
Mark Odland:Yeah. That's that's so cool. It's, and just to paint a picture for people who haven't seen that documentary. So Mhmm. This this place that they called Crackland, essentially, it's pretty pretty rough, really rough neighborhood.
Mark Odland:Right? I mean, this so this is Yeah. I mean, I think in the documentary, he talked about, like, a scene from, like, the zombie apocalypse or something. Like, it's just pretty rough with poverty and drug abuse by by the adults and so there are these kids
Lael Rodrigues:who are
Mark Odland:unsupervised, needing needing a second, you know, a chance at life and it sounds like you were able to provide this kind of safe place for them to be shielded from kind of the craziness of the outside world and and be encouraged and
Lael Rodrigues:Mhmm. Like a an oasis, I would say.
Mark Odland:Oasis. And it yeah. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:So yeah. Nowadays, Cracklends is way better.
Mark Odland:Good. Good. Okay.
Lael Rodrigues:So when I I moved back there in 02/2011. Right? And then, of course, you have you have all this motivation, all the dream. And I was listening to the older people, the the my leaders say that, no. We are working to end crack land.
Lael Rodrigues:So when I went to Sao Paulo, that was a dream. And that is a big problem with people that have social problems when they can't see the end. So since I was 22, since I moved there, I knew it. I I wanna I wouldn't be there forever.
Mark Odland:Right.
Lael Rodrigues:Because I want to see the end of crackling. So what happened is, like, the program the the programs existed to nowadays. I'm not there anymore, but the social programs still exist with a different name, but at the same people. The job that I started, like, in 02/2011 is still there. And to be honest, I feel, like, sad because I cannot have a program that depends of the misery of other people to exist.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. It doesn't make sense. Right. So it's a rough place. And in in my line of job or this line of work, you you run the risk of, like, I love my work so much.
Lael Rodrigues:I don't wanna lose that. But you forget that in order to the social program exists, someone needs to be in misery. Someone needs to be vulnerable. Yeah. So when I left the program, I was having these kind of issues with the people that were, like, also leaders with me.
Lael Rodrigues:It's like, oh, like, I want to see the end. I don't wanna cooperate to that to keep, like, postponing. Right? No. We can't finish this.
Mark Odland:Yes.
Lael Rodrigues:So now it's way better than when I started. But when I moved there, it was like, oh my. Imagine, like, Superior where I live, Superior, Wisconsin has 26,000 residents. Yep. Crackland of Brazil in Sao Paulo is 18,000 people on the streets having drugs twenty four hours per day.
Lael Rodrigues:So I was like, oh my that was, like, overwhelming. And I was coming from Salvador Bahia, warm waters. It's a touristic place. It's small.
Mark Odland:Oh my gosh.
Lael Rodrigues:And then going to Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo is a big city. Sao Paulo overall with all the metro area of Sao Paulo is, like, 25,000,000 people. Huge. And then this neighborhood with almost 20,000 people on the street twenty four seven having drugs.
Lael Rodrigues:So that was, like, really overwhelming. And my goal, I never I I did a little bit, but I don't like to walk with adults, like people that are, like, in rehab. It's not my thing. I I understand it's important, but it's not, like, what I like the most. I did that for Yep.
Lael Rodrigues:Less than two years. But working with the kids is actually working to change the future. Right? So when you have a kid that you take care of and you walk with them and you use your Jitsu as a tool, my final product is not just a black belt. Right?
Lael Rodrigues:This is what everybody wants to have. I want to have, like, an army, a lot of black belts, but this is not the final problem. The final product of the social program was supposed to be a better citizen, a better person. Someone that I know is not gonna be on the streets having drugs twenty four seven. So that was the whole purpose.
Lael Rodrigues:And then when I see, now it's like fourteen years later, how everything changed over there, I said, okay. I have a little bit of contribution. Seeing that people that I taught ten years ago that I took care, they are adults right now, and they are having a different life. I don't agree with everything they do, but at least I make sure they're not on the streets. They to understand this is not their their fate.
Lael Rodrigues:It's not because their parents are doing that. They need to do the same. So that's the I see, like, how I use jujitsu as a tool.
Mark Odland:Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:Literally transform people, change people. That's the whole thing. So now with different proportions, of course, I have different challenges of helping people through jujitsu with the gym. So I don't see anything that I do without purpose. So if I'm teaching, I have private classes this morning.
Lael Rodrigues:If I'm talking with someone, if I have a meeting, a breakfast, whatever, is always to transform the life of this person through jujitsu. What most people don't understand we're talking about, transforming life in the end of name, the title of your podcast is like keeping the cage. You need tools. Right? How can you escape a cage if you don't have tools?
Lael Rodrigues:Correct? And you just suggest a tool. Jujitsu is not the end itself. It's just a tool. It's a way that you're gonna go to get what you want.
Lael Rodrigues:That's To be who it needs to be. That's powerful. What I'm saying?
Mark Odland:Yeah. And I'm just I think I'm sure all the guys listening to this is are just resonating right now, Lyle, with you just talking about purpose. I mean, it's funny because our our last podcast was on motivation, and you're you're, like, going right after it. I mean, it's like if you have a purpose, the motivation kinda comes along with it. Right?
Mark Odland:Because Yes. You're centered. You're you're you have a a north star to guide you. And Mhmm. And I imagine that some of our listeners have heard of jujitsu, but they might think, oh, jujitsu, karate, taekwondo, it's all kind of the same thing.
Mark Odland:And it's not. And so I don't know if you'd be okay sharing a little bit about how jujitsu is different. And for people who think martial arts is all about violence, it might be interesting for them to understand how this could be a transformative Yeah. Transform your character, make you a better person. Mhmm.
Mark Odland:What yeah. Tell tell us about what what is so amazing about jujitsu and and how it's different.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. So we have, like, four hours. Don't you see it?
Mark Odland:Yeah. I know.
Lael Rodrigues:We can
Mark Odland:talk for days on this. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:So if you think about the martial art art aspects, like, as a fighting itself, jiu jitsu has been proving that it's the best one for, like, almost forty years now. So when we had the first UFC was, like, back in '93, The whole purpose of UFC was to prove that jiu jitsu was the best martial artist. So Rice Gracie, he was going against sumo guys, wrestling guys, boxing, white tie, whatever, kung fu guy. And he was beating all of them in one night to prove that jiu jitsu was the best way. What makes jiu jitsu so effective from the other martial arts that we we see is that we we are actually fighting every single day.
Lael Rodrigues:And this is something that I've been learning here in America. It's really different from Brazil. I think this is why Brazilians are so dominant in this sport because we fight, like, literally. We fight.
Mark Odland:Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:It's not it's not just drilling. It's not just, like, learning the movements. We are actually fighting each other every single day. And for us in our culture, this is okay. I don't hate you because we're fighting.
Lael Rodrigues:America's because it's it's a different culture. It's like it's more a cold culture, and people are more like, they have introvert overall. Okay. They don't go to the gym and they want to fight as much as they should be fighting. And I understand that it's just a it's it's it's culture.
Lael Rodrigues:Right? People get concerned about, like, getting hurt and all of that. So I do understand, but I mean this is the the magic formula that we do in Brazil. Just literally fight every day. And this is why people are so good at it.
Lael Rodrigues:Like you see UFC and all the fighters because they actually fight every day. And not only that, we are not just really with, like, a dummy or with a bag or just punching a bag. So you can be a really good boxer, but you're not you're probably not gonna fight every single day. You're not gonna spar. Right.
Lael Rodrigues:You do live rolling, live sparring every single day. It's not safe for a boxer. Do live sparring every single day, but it's safe for jiu jitsu to do live sparring. I do that every I do that, like, twice a day. I did that, like, an hour ago.
Lael Rodrigues:I was rolling, and I'm here. Fine. So that's the biggest difference, I would say, for someone that actually does jiu jitsu. And this is the actual process that's gonna make you a better person. Mhmm.
Lael Rodrigues:What that what that means. The the the word jujitsu in Japanese means gentle art.
Mark Odland:Mhmm.
Lael Rodrigues:But you know jujitsu is not that gentle sometimes or sometimes it
Mark Odland:means Especially if I'm rolling with you, Lyle. No. You are gentle. You are I mean, yeah. You because you're a black belt, you have no ego in Exactly.
Mark Odland:Having to crush me even though you could anytime.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. And that's exactly what the gentleness comes from. Yeah. So the the gentleness is not on the technique itself. Of course, the the person that has technique is gonna be is gonna face the adversity more gentle more gentle.
Lael Rodrigues:But the gentleness is how you face the adversity. So if I have someone that is trying to hurt me, do some harm, and then I just go violent against the person, probably both of us are gonna get hurt. But if I have someone that is really aggressive, strike to hurt me and I control this person with technique, I'm not gonna get hurt. I'm gonna control this person not getting hurt. And that's the power of jujitsu.
Lael Rodrigues:This is what jujitsu is so different. So when we we are training every single day, and then I've been training for a long time, and then I get someone that has more energies like a fresh white belt, a fresh blue belt, a young guy. This guy is so aggressive. He's like struggling with a lot on his mind. His mind is all over.
Lael Rodrigues:He go he's gonna come aggressively towards me. And what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna control this guy with a smile on my face. And you guys are gonna say, okay, you guys crazy. This guy is probably a cyclist. You know, I'm just showing you that under pressure, I'm not gonna freak up.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm gonna stay still. Right. And I'm gonna work my way out with technique. So going through this process of being exposed to pressure and people beat you up every single day, this is what makes the jiu jitsu guys so effective, so good. And that process is not gonna help you just rolling just when you're at the gym.
Lael Rodrigues:That makes me a better person off the gym too, like negotiating. I have to be in negotiations all the time. I have a hundred and five students right now. A hundred and five students, that means 300 people to take care of. They're always trying to negotiate some some I I need to stay still.
Lael Rodrigues:I cannot lose my temper. I need to be like, okay. I'm under pressure. I'm gonna walk my out, my way out. That makes me a better husband.
Lael Rodrigues:That makes me a better father because I can listen to that person when I'm like really stressed without freaking out. Yep. So the person that doesn't want to get exposed to this kind of situations, they never gonna learn how to deal when they see themselves themselves or bad situations. So I I've seen myself, like I like to compete when I'm competing. I feel so much pressure, so overwhelmed and then you learn a lot about yourself.
Lael Rodrigues:Even when you lose, even if you lose or whatever, just because you ex I expose myself to the situation, I learn more about myself and then makes me another person. But I need to expose myself. I can be fearing losing, that can happen. I need to see how I'm gonna deal with who we're losing Right. With the lost.
Lael Rodrigues:You know what I'm saying? So jiu jitsu helps on those two aspects. I think that's those are the biggest difference. People that do all the martial arts, they they are good people. They they have, like, intense training.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. But they're they're not fighting as much as we do. Right. So when you see a black belt, I I imagine this person has been through a lot of fighting, a lot of, like, pressure. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:So this person naturally is gonna deal better with pressure in life overall. Wow. Yeah.
Mark Odland:That's yeah. I mean, that's that's incredible. And, I mean, I've seen that even though I haven't been doing it that long. I've seen that for myself too Lyle. Just things that would have seemed stressful it's like well that's not as stressful as someone trying to choke me to death and but that's the joke right is no one ever actually gets choked to death because you you have a relationship and trust in in the gym.
Mark Odland:Right?
Lael Rodrigues:You Exactly.
Mark Odland:So as soon as someone taps, you let them go. You you don't break their arm. You don't choke them unconscious. Feeling it out. Right?
Lael Rodrigues:But this is on the person. I'm always saying, like, getting hurt in jiu jitsu is your responsibility. We have a safe code. It's a tap. So if someone's tapping even if you're saying, okay.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm not eating flexi, but this guy's tapping. Let go, man. Yeah. Probably something. We are trading partners.
Lael Rodrigues:We're not actually like, we don't hate each other. And even the Bible says that right in Proverbs seventeen twenty seven, the iron, the shops iron. Who knows? It's insane. So like I'm trying to, to, to see the best version of yourself and I'm trying to be the best version of myself.
Lael Rodrigues:So I need trading partners. They're gonna go hard on me. They're gonna try to put me on the worst situations possible. I'm also gonna try to do the same with my trading partners but I can't have like a personal beef with my trading partners.
Mark Odland:Right.
Lael Rodrigues:If you start doing that, you're not doing your shit. So like you're going on the other direction, you know. Even like on the tournaments and stuff, I don't hate my my opponents on the tournament. Even if I don't have, like, a training partner, how can I prove that I'm the best one if I don't have someone to compete against? Right.
Lael Rodrigues:So I need this guy there. I need this guy happy on his best day to beat him up. If I can't do that, I'm not the best one. So, like and if he beat me up, okay, mate. That was your moment.
Lael Rodrigues:That's okay. I don't hate you. I don't have, like, a personal problem with you. Right. We both want to say we just want to prove we're the best ones.
Lael Rodrigues:We're gonna have five, six minutes, ten minutes, whatever. We're have this route to prove that. At the end, we shake hands and then probably gonna eat something. We're gonna take photos after. We're gonna exchange Instagram numbers, whatever.
Lael Rodrigues:We're friends. You know what I'm saying? So that I I think this is a person that has been doing any kind of martial art. Behave like that. They they think like that.
Lael Rodrigues:As if this is like when I listen to someone that doesn't train, he's probably gonna say that, my god, but someone's gonna try to hurt me and say, oh, like, oh, I don't know if I'm gonna control myself if someone tried to do something in me. I'm just gonna flip it. Said, no. You're not gonna flip it. You're probably gonna cry.
Mark Odland:Yeah. I mean, you know, me being in the mental I mean, in your own way, you're kind of in the the mental health space too as a jujitsu Mhmm. Professor. Right? Because you are seeing all of human psychology on display, like fears and ego and insecurities and confidence and I think there is something to be said for being part of a process that gets you comfortable with stress and that builds your confidence in life.
Mark Odland:Right? And and hopefully, most of us will never actually need to defend ourselves in in real life out on the street. But it sure feels good to know that if you had to, you would have an edge too. So that idea of, you know, protecting your family, protecting yourself, and doing it in a way that hopefully people don't have to get too hurt in the process.
Lael Rodrigues:Mhmm. Yeah. I totally agree. And there is something too. I'm from the eighties, so I'm feel I'm feeling old.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm from, like, I'm from the eighties, and so we grew up in a different world, literally. Yeah. So what what does that mean? First, the generation before my generation, they used to like be on the suites all the time. And like on the suites it's a group of kids, they're gonna have their own rules, they're gonna have the leader, they're gonna have the person that's gonna suffer like bullying.
Lael Rodrigues:They're going to fight each other. They're to get in trouble together. They're going to find out how to escape the struggle together. People are on the street like dealing with situations every single day. The kids are playing differently.
Lael Rodrigues:That was like screen time. Like TV was like, man, maybe like I could be in a maybe or kids are gonna be outside of like 02:10 p. M. Whatever. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:So those people, they grew up dealing with problems way better. But like you see that we are slowly changing two things. Families are getting smaller with it's really natural it was like a single kid or maybe two. So they don't even fight at home because they don't have siblings to fight to just like pretend they're fighting whatever. They don't even have that.
Lael Rodrigues:So even at home, inside home, the families are getting smaller so they don't have to fight for food with a sibling. You don't need to, but like so those situations when you grow up in the day you're gonna have a boss that is gonna be on you. Yep. You're not gonna cry because they say yeah I I can can deal with that. And now the kids are not learning how to face adversity because they're like just getting distracted on the screen all the time by themselves or they don't even have a sibling to fight or they're homeschoolers.
Lael Rodrigues:Also that generation right now, the teenagers, they have no idea how to face adversity because they have literally no adversity in their lives. Yeah. If someone says I don't want to do that, they they they have no idea how to negotiate. Right. Oh, but I do what?
Lael Rodrigues:Or they're gonna freak out. They're gonna scream. They're gonna go aggressive. Bro, like, talk. So I think we are like losing this emotional intelligence, you know what I'm saying, because people are not they are growing up without facing that at any time in their lives.
Lael Rodrigues:They see super introvert people that can barely talk. I see that. Like, I have young adults at the gym. Sure. They are 20.
Lael Rodrigues:They're 90. They have no idea how to talk with people. Like, let's sit on the table and just, like, socialize. They have no idea how to do that. So if you see that you had that, the big lack Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:In your life, you should be looking for that. Yogi is perfect.
Mark Odland:Yes.
Lael Rodrigues:And then, of course, we grow up. We become adults, and then we we build a a fortress. We build, like, a castle, and then we have all this comfort stuff around us. You don't wanna be facing adversity. Everybody wants to get back home, and this is the right thing to do.
Lael Rodrigues:This is what happened to me. I get back home with my wife. I want to have a great time. I don't wanna face adversity with my wife. You know what I'm saying?
Lael Rodrigues:Right. So you wanna go to your walk. You don't wanna be facing adversity with the boss. So you should be looking for adversity. You should be looking for pressure.
Lael Rodrigues:You know what I'm saying? Pressure is a privilege. Feel of the pressure is a privilege. Yeah. So we just accommodate, and we think we're gonna change the world.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm not gonna change the world. Like like, nah. It's too comfortable. You know what I'm saying? No.
Mark Odland:That's so that's profound, Lyle. I mean, pressure is a privilege. I'm gonna steal that from you and quote quote you on that because that's
Lael Rodrigues:I have a shirt with that.
Mark Odland:Do you? Oh, that's that's awesome. I I I've had a different version of that. I've told people they've gotta pick their pain. It's like either you chew you choose pain now on your terms or the pain's gonna find you later.
Mark Odland:Because if you're if you're fragile, everything's gonna feel like like pressure at some point. Right? And and you're gonna fall apart. And I remember reading Hicks and Gracie's biography or autobiography, and he talks about being, like, a a little kid and he got tapped 12 or 10 or whatever. He got tapped for the first time, and he tapped to pressure, and he felt so embarrassed about it.
Mark Odland:He had his brother roll him up in a carpet
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah.
Mark Odland:In, like, a hundred degrees in Brazil and and just, like, stay there. And it was not many kids would do that but he's like he kind of knew intuitively I have to get used to that somehow. Have to like not freak out next time that happens and so yeah I mean and I'm guessing that well talking about adversity right how this mindset of pressure is a privilege I mean when you think back I'm sure there's so many ups and downs in our lives right but I'm thinking about your journey, Lyle. Is there a particular kind of challenge that you faced when you when you think back that's like, man, that was rough, but I I was able to overcome it, get to the other side. Overcome, survive, however you wanna put it.
Lael Rodrigues:No. Every every single year, man, is something new. You know I'm saying? Like Yeah. Even even coming here to to The US, being here, this is the second year here and I'm moving to a different country.
Lael Rodrigues:And we just met we just knew Jeremy and then starting a business in a different country, and they also oh my god. I'm not gonna put it. And then I'm here, and always going good. It's growing. But, I think, like, one of the biggest for sure was when I moved to Sao Paulo because, when I I I talk and then I skip a lot of stuff.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm gonna get back. But, I was 22. I dropped off college to to move to Sao Paulo because of this mission, this missionary program that I was going to to start my social program. And I moved, I had, like, a job, not a fancy job, but I had a job. So I was living in my apartment with my sister.
Lael Rodrigues:I was sharing the apartment. I had my car. I was going to college. I had my job. And then I moved to Sao Paulo to be a volunteer.
Lael Rodrigues:It was just a dream. And then I was living with no money, and then I was living in the house of Azubay. I didn't have, like, a house. I was just jumping to a house or another house, and I had no idea if it's gonna work or not. And I wasn't I wasn't really really sure what I was doing it, but I knew it.
Lael Rodrigues:That was like, okay. I'm feeling you know, when you have faith and you you grew up in a Christian place. I I know this is what God wants me to be. I will be here. So by very first two years, there is some problem.
Lael Rodrigues:It was like hard, really hard. No money, no hopes, like, oh my God, nothing's working. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna push a little bit more. I'm gonna push a little bit I'm not gonna quit. I'm not gonna tap on pressure.
Lael Rodrigues:And this is something that both rugby and jiu jitsu are really similar. You need to keep pushing. You need to keep going. You need to keep moving forward. And after those two years, the the things are start working, and then I got, like, a I I could move to I could rent an apartment.
Lael Rodrigues:I got married. And then, the programs are, like, working really well. When I was lunching, I was sending, like, a lot of kids. I said, oh my god. This is so good.
Lael Rodrigues:And then in 02/2018, that was the year that I got my black belt. I almost died twice with health issues.
Mark Odland:Really? Oh my gosh.
Lael Rodrigues:Yes. I lost like a lot of weight. I was super skinny. I had a liver infection because of this program. Used to looking at these, slugs.
Lael Rodrigues:Slugs? Slums. Lums. Yeah. Slums in the funella.
Lael Rodrigues:So I got a liver infection because of that. It's a it's a liver problem that everybody has when they're kids in Brazil. It's called the yellow fever. Okay. But I had that as an adult, and I didn't realize that I was supposed to be resting.
Lael Rodrigues:And instead of resting, I was just training and working and doing my life. I said, no, I'm just feeling like sleepy, but I'm okay. I have a tournament Saturday. I can't stop this week. I need to have this tournament.
Lael Rodrigues:I went to the tournament, a jiu jitsu tournament. And I was like, that was the worst thing ever. And I even got third place on that day. I was almost dying. Everybody was looking at me and saying, man, are you okay?
Lael Rodrigues:I give you people that I I didn't view it. It's like, were looking at me. I was like, man, I don't know if you're alright. I'm sure you're good. I was like, yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm good. Fine. I'm just sleepy. I just need to rest. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:Then when I I finally went to the hospital, like, on an island, the doctor, as soon as she looked at me, she said, you're never gonna be, like, hospitalized. You need to stay here. I said, come on. I don't even know my name, what you're saying, because you could see in my face I was dying. And then I was in the hospital for, like, almost ten days.
Lael Rodrigues:And because I had this liver and then the liver infection, there is no, like, medicine or procedure. It's just, like, rest because they said that my liver was, like, jello. It was really big and, like, all soft. And I was like, oh my god, that scared me. And then that was in March.
Lael Rodrigues:I got my black belt in July. In September, I was supposed to do my first black belt tournament, supposed to be my first competition. And, I went to sleep the night of the competition and I had like a seizure. I was shaking myself. Was like, I never had that before.
Lael Rodrigues:That was the only episode I had. And I went to the hospital. They couldn't, like, find the reason. I was, like, shaking myself, and I was, like, like, this seizure. And I had this episode for, like, three hours.
Lael Rodrigues:I was scared. I was really scared. And I I was I was so weak this year because I lost a lot of weight because of the liver infection and all of that. So that was really challenging. And of course, I cannot say that 2020, the pandemic was really challenging, but not for health issues, mostly because of personal problems.
Lael Rodrigues:So that was a year that I got divorced and I had to left to leave the the program. So there was a big change in my life. Know, there's one that was like, okay. I can't see a way out. And, I was in Sao Paulo by myself because I had no family in Sao Paulo so, and I have a daughter so I would, I would, I said I want to stay in Sao Paulo because of my daughter.
Lael Rodrigues:And I had no money, I was like going for a bit, then uno. And this is the moment that I started like getting my hub getting my hub, give me some profit. Yeah. Being profitable. So this is when I took photography seriously.
Lael Rodrigues:Said no. Now I think because I was telling you I want to walk with jujitsu, right? So I had to leave the social program. I wasn't like thinking that would be possible teaching jujitsu in Sao Paulo because I had no money to open a gym or like walking for someone else whatever. And that was the way that I find, like, a way out to stage a gym, to do quip in Sao Paulo, to make some money.
Lael Rodrigues:And that worked really well for, like, three years until I moved here. But that was, like, really challenging. Now I I think that was one of the biggest challenge because, like, you're older, you have a comfortable life. Me and my ex wife, we work, like, eight years, nine years building the program. So we had, like, a a really comfortable life, and then we have all of that.
Lael Rodrigues:And out of the blue, you need to leave the program that I worked so much to And then you need to leave it, move to a different, neighborhood, be away from my daughter and then facing the divorce. This is like something that I never expect to face. Yeah. And I've fought so much to now get divorced because like growing up in a Christian family and she's also a Christian, so we're like in therapy for five years so I tried them. So is it like an actual jiu jitsu person?
Lael Rodrigues:I was trying. Yeah. Okay. This is not working. And then that's the reason that we, broke up and we are like good therms because we tried.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. Tried a lot. So when we got to the point that it's not working, I'm not happy, you're not happy. This is so embarrassing to admit. You know what I'm saying?
Lael Rodrigues:Like, you you you you're not able to be happy and make someone happy. That's hard. And then having a daughter and all this mess, so it's like, it was a big challenge, but I mean, jujitsu helped me go through all of those. Jujitsu was the first, what made me stay in Sao Paulo. And then the year that I got my back daughter was feeling so like, I'm so sure that was like, that's what I want.
Lael Rodrigues:This is like my backpack. Then I faced those health issues in there. Two years later, like, a divorce. So it's like, it's always a challenge, but I mean, just a regular day. Be under pressure.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm always, like, looking to be under pressure.
Mark Odland:Oh my god. That is so much to go through. I mean Yeah. Almost dying twice and then going through that. And yeah.
Mark Odland:And it sounds like jujitsu is kind of that predictable steady place for you to to and then the mindset that the strength that you gained just through that whole process, that way of life. Mhmm. I don't know if resilience is the right word, but the the ability to make it through hard things and Yeah. Hard I mean, it's hard for even even as a guy who, with a strong faith, it can still be really hard. Still be really challenging.
Lael Rodrigues:No. I I'm I'm struggling with that right now, to be honest. Like Yeah. Seeing everything that is going up I see I mean, it's not the end, but it's a struggle, you know, like being struggling with faith. But what people don't realize when you you you met me like recently, like a year or something ago, and and then you see the black belt right now, You don't see the process that made me who I am today.
Lael Rodrigues:So is that process, like, facing the divorce, moving to, like, the unknown, and then, like, facing all of that almost dying. Like, I I I keep saying, like, oh my god. What could happen, you know, with this liver infection, like, the seizure? I had no idea. It was, like, just, like, taking myself.
Lael Rodrigues:And I I I could, like, literally just die. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And people don't realize they don't understand how much jiu jitsu have changed me personally to be more resilient. But, I mean, I've changed a lot personally, but the biggest change was, like, I was really arrogant.
Lael Rodrigues:Arrogant. K. I was I was a punk when I was a club. And I going through this process of, like, being a volunteer, having no house, no money, that was like breaking myself. And then I found jujitsu.
Lael Rodrigues:The other day I was in class, and I was saying, when people see jujitsu, they start jujitsu. They're thinking like, yeah. This is the white belt, and then I get blue, purple, brown, and black. But it's actually like this. This is white belt.
Lael Rodrigues:And then you just start on your your free fall. You're gonna fall, and then you're gonna get your blue belt. And you're gonna keep falling. You're gonna get your purple belt. And you're gonna keep falling.
Lael Rodrigues:You're gonna get your brown belt. On your brown belt right right here on the bottom, this is when you're gonna start, like, coming back up again. And then probably probably you're gonna get your black belt on the same level you were before. Like, the black belt is actually a beginning. So Jiu Jitsu is not just going up.
Lael Rodrigues:It's actually going downwards as free fall seeing that you're not as strong as you think, you're not as smart as you think, you're not as strong as you think. And let me tell you for the guys, you can't fight. Let's be honest. Like you think you can fight, you can't. So learning all of that and then see yourself exposed, fragile because I've seen like grown men not coming back to the gym because they feel embarrassed because someone dominated them.
Lael Rodrigues:Said, like, that was exactly the opposite. I was coming back to the gym because someone beat me up. Said, no. This guy cannot beat me up. I'm gonna train you too.
Lael Rodrigues:I beat this guy up. Right. So, like, going through all of that, you go just a free fall. And then when you're like right at the bottom, when you start climbing back up again, you're probably gonna get your black belt on the same level you were before or even a little bit lower. But the black belt is not the end.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm still training. I'm still learning. I'm still involved. I'm still improving. So I'm still, like, climbing my way up.
Lael Rodrigues:You know what I'm saying? Wow. Yeah.
Mark Odland:Yeah. I mean, that's, a yeah. That you're not sugarcoating it. I mean, but it's almost like embracing embracing a process of of transformation, of of growth, of self improvement. And I love what you're what you're getting at with jujitsu.
Mark Odland:It's almost like you have to look in the mirror and see who you really are, and you might not be what you think you are. And now what are you gonna do with it? Are you gonna go back and hide and keep up the pretending, or are you going to face hard things? And, yeah, and embrace the process. And, yeah, that's, yeah, that's that's humbling and and but exciting too.
Mark Odland:It's exciting to feel like, kind of bring it on. Okay I want to keep getting better, a little bit better every day. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. Yeah and this is a daily process. It is endless. You know that I get to a point that I don't feel that okay, I'm done, I'm too good. No, still have a lot to improve.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm way better than like fifteen years ago. Yeah. I hope so. But but I'm still improving, not just personally being more wise and being more calm, all of that. But even as jiu jitsu, I'm I'm getting better as jiu jitsu.
Lael Rodrigues:I'm playing jiu jitsu better. Every single day, can see, oh, yeah. I'm I'm I'm I'm able to do some moves that I couldn't do, like, last year. And then I'm always, like, adding stuff. It's endless.
Lael Rodrigues:But this is I think this is why it's so fun, especially for people that are, like, older. Mhmm. I say to jiu jitsu is perfect for people over 30.
Mark Odland:Wait. Did you just point at me? Are you calling me older, Lila?
Lael Rodrigues:No. I'm calling you I'm I'm from the eighties, man.
Mark Odland:Come on. Kidding. I'm feeling little gray here. I'm from the eighties too. Or eighties, nineties.
Mark Odland:Yeah. But, anyway, go ahead.
Lael Rodrigues:But, like, jiu jitsu for people over 30. Yeah. Right? And there are some reasons. Like, especially here in America, Polish people, are, like, all over.
Lael Rodrigues:They have a busy, busy, busy schedule. And young people, have a bigger social life. They go to clubs. They have a bigger circle of friends. So sometimes they have like church friends, they have gym friends, they have college friends, and they need to know meet them like weekly and then they have like a bigger, social life.
Lael Rodrigues:And of course they have no money too. So it's like it's hard to keep this lifestyle with little money, right? Right. And then when you get over 30, you don't want to go to the club or bar every single weekend but you want to hang out. Everybody has this empty place for socializing.
Lael Rodrigues:Everybody has it. It's a human necessity socializing, be around people is a human need. Every you can have like less need than the other ones, but everybody has these It's true. Yeah. Alright?
Lael Rodrigues:So and when you're over 30, probably your friends are gonna have kids. They're gonna have like walk. You can't see them every day. So you probably have just church friends. If you don't go to church, you'll have no friends anymore.
Lael Rodrigues:And then Yep. And then you go to jujitsu, and you find this place where you can hand out. You're gonna have a really deep bond with the people there. You're gonna know the names. You're gonna know the story.
Lael Rodrigues:You're gonna, like, you're gonna fight together every single day. You're gonna go against each other. So it's a really deep bond, and you're gonna hang out. You're gonna have fun. You're gonna learn in an endless loop.
Lael Rodrigues:And this is why jiu jitsu is so fun. So people when they're like 30, 30 five, and then they fight jiu jitsu. My god. This is what I was missing in my life. You know, I can go have fun.
Lael Rodrigues:I don't need to get drunk. I will be a little bit sore, but I mean, it's healthier than a hangover. Right? Yes. That's right.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. So I mean, jujitsu feel this gap that like adults have, and this is why it works really well. And this is, this is my main target, like people, like, close to people 35. This is, I'm building a gym that is for most people. You know I'm saying?
Lael Rodrigues:I'm not having no gym to, like, young girls, you know, like, guys full of energy and say, bro, I I we can't keep up. You guys have too much energy, man. I'm I'm slowing down now.
Mark Odland:Yeah. Yeah. I I love that. Well, you know, I'm I'm 45, and I can just affirm that the way you structure your classes, Lyle, is just amazing. And
Lael Rodrigues:Man, thank you.
Mark Odland:Yeah. I mean, it's it's it's a place where it's like, can I can go hard, but I I don't worry as much about getting injured? It might happen. Right? It does happen.
Mark Odland:Yeah. But but there's different levels. You got the beginners classes. You got the more advanced classes. There's kind of a you got kids classes.
Mark Odland:There's a place for everyone. And
Lael Rodrigues:Mhmm. Yeah.
Mark Odland:And I love that. I mean, I told you the other day at the coffee shop. I'm like, I if it weren't for, you know, having four kids and and being married, I'd probably train every Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:And, you know, I'll I'll
Mark Odland:keep working on it. You said, hey. Bring the whole family. I'm like Yeah. I'll I'll keep working on that
Lael Rodrigues:too. Yeah.
Mark Odland:It's no. It's so good. Well, you know, some questions I like to ask podcast guests, one, because we deal so much with men, this is kind of a big question, but everyone's got their own answer. Right? And for you, Lyle, when you think about what it means to be a man or a real man.
Mark Odland:Right? Like, how how would you define that? Like, how would how would you put that into words, what it means to be a man?
Lael Rodrigues:So this is a really complex question. Right? And as I said, I don't think we ever gonna get to a right answer, but we're gonna have what we believe and what we think should be done. Well, I'm gonna put it that way. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:Coming from Brazil and then moving to America, learning the different cultures, I see that many here they have different concerns than many in Brazil. Yeah. For example, I grew up in a, in a house that I had I joke that I say all the time that I had eight moms because, like, my my mom has, seven sisters. Okay. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:So I got all of them there, they treat me as a kid. So I grew up in a place that the the women has a really big role. Like, the women have a big role in my life. So for me, I would say that a man is someone that should be, like, taking care of the women around him. You know
Mark Odland:what I'm saying?
Lael Rodrigues:Have a really protective nature. So, and I have two daughters, you know, mom, sister, wife, so like I have too many people to protect and then be around. And then some people they think the man should be like just, like should be like a king. Everybody should be like serving
Mark Odland:Yeah. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:With the guy. And I think it's exactly the opposite. And this is like another relationship with jujitsu. When we seek the black belt, what the black belt means is the the one that serves. That's exactly what it's supposed to be.
Lael Rodrigues:So I mean, me as a man, I think we should be serving people around us. We started with people that have more needs. There are people that are more exposed, you know, I'm saying like more vulnerable. So I would say kids and women, we should take care of them. And they of course serve people around like several community and then serve like in small circles.
Lael Rodrigues:You can serve at a gym. You can serve in a church. You can serve in your neighborhood. You can serve in a shelter, whatever. But I mean, as a man, I think we should be more protective Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:With people around us, especially the vulnerable vulnerable people. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.
Mark Odland:Yeah. No. I I love that, Lyle. I appreciate you sharing that. It's, you know kind of the five kind of values I thought about when I created Lion Counseling was two of them are kind of you're tapping into it provide and protect right and that's nice and nowadays sometimes we get messages like somehow being a protector is like somehow bad or violent and it's like no, like that's that's okay, that's good.
Mark Odland:It's good to be a protector with that servant kind of mindset. But then on the flip side, a couple of the other core values are create, tapping into that creative side, And love. Then that balances out, right? So it's provide, protect, create love, and the last one is leave a legacy, right? And so that's my next question I ask people is and this is another big one but it's like you know flash forward someday hopefully you live to be 110 with good health Lyle but on that day when you know when you're gone what do you hope that you you will have left behind, or what kind of impact do you wish
Lael Rodrigues:you had? That's another really good question. And I'm I'm always thinking about that, and I'm always thinking about how I'm sending a message, how people are getting the message. This is why I'm always when I'm talking about jujitsu, I'm never saying that jujitsu is just fighting and zombies. I I barely talk about techniques or whatever.
Lael Rodrigues:You know? It's more the lifestyle. Right. So when I was in the program, I was saying to you, I was working with like seeing the end, the goals, no, we actually, we end the crackling in Brazil. This is like, I was working for that.
Lael Rodrigues:And I'm always working with some goals like I want to be a reference as a pastor, as a business owner, as a husband, as a father. I'm always looking to be that. But I know I won't be in all the the vision, all the possibilities but I mean I'm trying to do to be a reference but when I want to people seeing like my legacy as someone that took care of other people and then I actually like have a deep change in your life.
Mark Odland:Yeah. So
Lael Rodrigues:every single encounter that I have in my life could be like a elevator ride. I want to have some impact in this personal life. So I have my business and I have this motto. If you go there just once, you're gonna have a great time. And we're remind that forever.
Lael Rodrigues:It's not gonna be something that, yeah, I'll be there and I barely remember. Yeah. No. You went there. You had a great time.
Lael Rodrigues:You you had some positive impact in your life, so this is what I want for my legacy. And this is what Jesus did. Right? Everybody that was in control of Jesus, he was changing their lives, like like, totally. You know, they have.
Lael Rodrigues:So I'm not Jesus, but, I mean, if I can have a positive impact to, like, a small one in your life and you gotta keep them Yeah. I think this is good. So when I look back, like, teaching for all those years, I I have some back belts, people that they're they have the black belt level right now. But but just that, people that they literally changed their lives because of jiu jitsu, because of this, like, dealing with me, seeing with me every single day. So this is what I want for my legacy to see the positive impact that I have done in so many lives, you know, and those people repeating the same.
Mark Odland:That's yeah. That's beautiful. I mean, I think about that a lot as a as a therapist too. It's like I've got one person in my office, but if if if somehow they can find some kind of healing, transformation, change of attitude, then they pass that on to their children. And then their children pass it on to their children.
Mark Odland:It has a rip like that that stone thrown in the in the water. It has those ripples that that extend outward. And I think it'll be cool. I mean, who knows how it all works? But but someday in heaven, maybe we'll get to see those rip look backs that we never knew.
Mark Odland:We never knew because of this. This changed me, and then this changed this relationship. And this you know, it's like, oh my gosh. Like, that's humbling. It's beautiful.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. One of my favorite things right now was, like, having social media, and then someone comes and text me, like, out of the blue. Say, oh, do you mind me? You you taught me when I was, like, 14. He was like, oh, I don't.
Lael Rodrigues:But who are you? He said, and they said, oh, yeah. So because of your classes, I did class for, like, three months. And then I I got this internship, and then I went to college. You know?
Lael Rodrigues:I'm married. I have a kid. So, oh my god. This is awesome. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:So I love when that happens. And then some people that we have more connection, we we were, like, hanging out for a long time. I was following them for a long time. And then we lost this contact. And then after, like, two, three years, I see they're, like, doing well.
Lael Rodrigues:They got back, and they say, no. I'm walking. I have a I have a family. I'm doing well. Or people that got, like, two fewer.
Lael Rodrigues:Oh my god. This is awesome.
Mark Odland:Yeah. Oh, that's so gratifying. Yeah. It's gotta feel good when you see those stories and Yeah. Okay.
Mark Odland:Cool. Cool. Well, my final question, Lyle, for today is, you know, for all the guys out there listening, what's one piece of advice that you could give them to hopefully make their lives a little bit better? I might know the answer.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. Like, change your shit to that. But it's exactly what I said. You need to you need to find something that is going to put you under pressure, you know? Like if you don't, if you don't want to do jiu jitsu for whatever reason, you need to find something like sport is a good one.
Lael Rodrigues:Sport is like, because you have, like, all the rules. Yep. But you need to find something, a good thing, not just like, don't go too crazy, not like addiction or something like that. Find something that is gonna let you under pressure. You know?
Lael Rodrigues:Feel pressure. Feel and I don't think it's healthy. Always be under pressure in your work environment. Right. It can be sometimes or not other times.
Lael Rodrigues:You don't wanna be under pressure in your family house or you don't wanna go home and feel under pressure. So you need to to find this outlet, a place that is gonna extract the best of you. You're not gonna give the best of you if you're not under pressure. Period. Everything that is good, like diamonds, gold, everything comes from pressure.
Lael Rodrigues:Everything good comes from pressure. If you wanna do a juice, you need to squeeze the food in every way you have. You're gonna extract the best of the food to have a juice or whatever, smoothie, whatever you're doing. So everything that is good comes from this process of being under pressure. Expose yourself.
Lael Rodrigues:Don't don't be shy. Don't be a coward. Don't be like, there's something that bugs me a lot when I listen to you. It's like people saying that I have social anxiety. I cannot go to this meeting.
Lael Rodrigues:I cannot go to this hangout. I cannot go to this restaurant because I have social anxiety. And for what exactly, bro? Like, we hang out every single no. This happened, like, people that go to the gym.
Lael Rodrigues:And then I say, we're gonna have a breakfast together. We're have a barbecue together, or I can't make it because of social anxiety. So how can you be a man in 02/2025 it has all your anxiety? I do respect mental health issues just saying but yeah yeah I mean expose yourself sometimes be under pressure for you it would be like I'm gonna go to hang out, I'm gonna meet people you know I'm gonna go to church You know? I'm gonna go to, like I'm gonna do something that I know I'm gonna feel under pressure.
Lael Rodrigues:So sometimes you don't need to do jujitsu. It'll be better. You can find something that is gonna put you under pressure and then extract the best of you.
Mark Odland:I love it. And I think what you're saying too, Lyle, is very true in the mental health space too. Because sometimes I think people think that therapy is just making you comfortable. And I think, in my opinion, too many therapists do that. They just try to make you feel good when you're in session.
Mark Odland:But you have to find that place where you stretch the person to face their fears because that's where the growth happens, right? That's where the changes happen. And so, amen.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. I'm saying all the time, my job as professor is to make you uncomfortable. Could be rolling or could be like, man, you're not doing that right. Come on. You need to come more often.
Lael Rodrigues:You you you're being too too sloppy. You're being too lazy. That's my job as a professor. It's like it's hard, but it is. But I cannot just, like, tap her shoulder and say, oh, you're doing a great job, man.
Lael Rodrigues:Oh my god. You're so awesome. No. You're not gonna get better with that. You know?
Lael Rodrigues:Like, it has people to do that. My my job as a professor, no. Need to do better. You need to go more often.
Mark Odland:That's right.
Lael Rodrigues:Well
Mark Odland:well, I I can say from experience, Lyle, you are amazing at what you do. I I mean that genuinely. And not only do you have the skills to back it up, but you have a sense of humor and the genuine care for your students, and that's, like, a perfect mix. So
Lael Rodrigues:Thank you, man.
Mark Odland:I know some of our listeners are in this local area, in the
Lael Rodrigues:in the
Mark Odland:sports, Superior, and Duluth area. For people who are local, how do they find you? If they if they're interested in a class or if they if Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:First of all, that would be awesome. As I was saying, if you go there just once, you're gonna have a good time. I'm gonna make sure of that. And the best way is going to our website, www.superiorjiujitsu.com. You can schedule a private class with me.
Lael Rodrigues:Generally, one hour private class is like a hundred dollars, but we give that for free for people that are coming for the first time. You're gonna have like one hour. We're gonna do one hour. I'm gonna be talking a lot. You're gonna talk me around.
Lael Rodrigues:You're gonna take me down. We're gonna do all the moves on me. So this is something that we do differently too. When you go there for the first time, no one's gonna embarrass you. So all the moves that you're gonna do is gonna be on me.
Lael Rodrigues:So you're not gonna no one's gonna beat you up, no one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna take you down, no one's gonna it's a different environment. So it's really nice. And I know most people have objections about that. Just it's kind of the the private class. You're gonna see what I'm talking about.
Lael Rodrigues:You're gonna learn self defense. You're gonna do all the techniques on me. It's gonna be really fun. But if you have some kind of experience, you can just go and visit us. We are open.
Lael Rodrigues:We have classes every day. We have morning classes Monday through Thursday. We have night classes at 6PM every single day. If you have trained jiu jitsu before, just show up there. We're super friendly.
Lael Rodrigues:We are located inside Doc's Gym. We're gonna have, like, nice rounds. We're gonna have, like, nice rolling. And, of course, we're gonna enjoy ourselves too. The address is 2806 Beltap Street, East Superior Jiu Jitsu, inside Doc's Gym.
Lael Rodrigues:Wonderful. Feel free to show up.
Mark Odland:Yeah. It's worth it. It's worth it. And, do you have any, are you active on social media? Do you have any other places you want people to follow you?
Lael Rodrigues:We are on Instagram, Superior.JiuJitsu, so you can follow us there. It's gonna be really nice with post, like, our daily trainings and all all the things. And I have my personal one. My personal one is, like, a mess. I also be more active in on Instagram.
Lael Rodrigues:I just want, like, some random stuff, like, here and there.
Mark Odland:Yeah. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:But my it's my name. Is, like, my full name on Instagram. But I I would appreciate you follow at the gym. Superior dot jiu jitsu is really awesome. Yeah.
Mark Odland:Yeah. Awesome. Well, we'll put that in the show notes, and people can find you there. And, hopefully, we'd love to have you back sometime down the road, Lyle. And and
Lael Rodrigues:Anytime, man. That was lovely. And you say I talk a lot, man.
Mark Odland:Oh, no. Well, you're yeah. That that's why I wanted you on. I wanted to hear what you had to say. And, just be ready.
Mark Odland:And next time, we're gonna do a harmony. We're gonna sing together a little bit. If you're ready.
Lael Rodrigues:Sounds good.
Mark Odland:Sounds good. And also am dying to know which animals you feel like you could beat in a fight. That's another that's another topic. Okay? We have wolves' fires up here in in, in Minnesota.
Mark Odland:So
Lael Rodrigues:Wolves wolves know they scratch. It'd it'd be something that doesn't scratch like a movie. You know? Something like that. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. Okay.
Mark Odland:To to to be continued, by way.
Lael Rodrigues:I I like you know Matt Pearson? He goes to the gym. Okay. He's a pro football. Yeah.
Lael Rodrigues:Yeah. I I rolling with him. He's rolling, like, with the Bear. He's the same with me.
Mark Odland:He's he's a he's a big guy. Yeah. Yeah. It's true.
Lael Rodrigues:He's a big fella. Yeah.
Mark Odland:Oh, man. Well, this is fun, Lyle. Thank you so much. God bless you. And
Lael Rodrigues:Thank you.
Mark Odland:Thank you. Next week. I'll I'll see you at the gym soon.
Lael Rodrigues:See you soon, man.
Mark Odland:Alright. Alright.
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