Jiu Jitsu, Perseverance, and Having a WHY With Nicholas Gregoriades

0:00 Welcome to the Unapologetic Man Podcast, the only podcast that's all about self-improvement, confidence, success, women, and being a man without making any apologies for it. What is up, gentlemen? Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the UMP. I really do appreciate it. Today, I have a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, a very famous individual named Nick Gregory Audez. And Nick, if I just completely decimated your name, I do apologize for that. But Nick came onto the show today. We had a really good conversation about Jiu-Jitsu, perseverance, having a why, what the most superior martial art is, and why we train in martial arts and how it grows us as men.

0:50 And so even if you're not really into martial arts, this is still a conversation that's definitely worth listening to because he drops a lot of really good wisdom. He's a really, really wise individual. In fact, impressively so. I asked him questions that, honestly, I didn't know the answer to, and he came out every single time with amazing answers. So definitely check this one out. One thing I wanted to say, too, is I went on his podcast a few weeks ago, and it should be dropping right around the time this one drops.

1:18 In fact, it's probably the same week, but man, he hit me with a lot of really difficult questions because he's a really, really intelligent guy. And he hit me with these questions that I answered pretty well. I was pretty proud of my performance on his podcast, but it was a very deep dive into things like frame control. Is your personality contrived when you're learning to pick up girls? And similar challenging questions that I thought were just spectacular. So go listen to that podcast if you haven't already.

1:48 I'm going to leave a link to his show in the description below. So let's go ahead and jump into the interview, boys. I hope you enjoy it. Nick, what is up, my friend? How you been? Exceptionally well, my man. Ready, never better. So I came on your podcast a couple weeks ago, and what I mentioned to the boys is one of the things I like best about the interview that you gave to me is you challenged me, man. You really challenged me. Like, you're like, I'm going to get this guy where he won't be able to talk his way out of it.

2:16 And fortunately, fortunately, we had a really good conversation that came out of it. You know, many times when I talk to people, they just give me these softballs, like, tell us who you are and why you do what you do. And like you, man, you hit me with it. And part of the reason I think you did that is because that's in your character, right? We talk about tenacity. We talk about frame control, which you and I spoke about on your episode. And we talk about the perseverance necessary to achieve certain goals.

2:42 And you, as I mentioned at the top of the show, are a black belt in BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I would say probably maybe one out of 10,000 people who start probably get their black belt. Would you say that's pretty accurate? What do you think the stats are on that? I think it's probably not that low. Probably one out of every thousand, I guess, people actually sign up to take classes and sign the contract to go maybe one out of a thousand. But again, that's just sucked from my thumb.

3:11 I have no way of knowing that. But I just want to come back to the thing you said about, I don't think it was the exact words you said, but you implied that I was out to get you in our conversation. I really wasn't. I was just, I don't want to be right. I just want to get it right. So I really wanted to just get to the truth and I wanted to find out the truth of what you believed and what you felt. So that's probably why I was a little bit more tenacious with you than other interviewers.

3:37 Yeah, I loved it, man. After the call, I went to my girlfriend. I was like, that's what the hell I'm talking about, man. He put me through the ringer and that's what's fun, man. That's what we want to do. And hopefully I get it. But I wasn't trying to though. I just want you to know. But see, that communicates your strong frame because you're like, yo, I need to understand this better. So I'm going to challenge you. People who have weak frames aren't willing to challenge.

3:57 So getting back to BJJ, all right. So how many years did it take you to get your black belt in BJJ? It took me just under five years to get my black belt. The hell? What do you, five years? Bro, that's how long it took me to get my blue belt. What in the literal fuck? How did you pull that off? You know, you spoke about tenacity. That was one thing I remember, like I said, I don't care what it takes. I'm going to get this thing.

4:21 There were periods, short periods where I lived in the gym. Yeah. There was a long period where I lived right next door to the gym, literally the building attached to it. There's something to be said, Mark, for the idea of full immersion. I just fully immersed myself in it. And I was like teaching it. I was practicing. I was competing. I was studying the art and yeah, just full immersion. And when you do that, like you can contract the amount of time needed to accomplish anything.

4:49 Did you have a purpose as to why you did it? Because for me, literally, brother, and you need to know this about me, I don't enjoy BJJ very much, man. It just doesn't suit me very well. And I struggle with it. And, you know, I'm sure that's what you hear from many white and blue belts, but it really isn't my thing. And every time I go in there, I'm kind of like, ah, I really don't want to do this. But I have a powerful why, which is how I was able to accomplish my blue belt.

5:12 And I heard from Hicks and Gracie, he was interviewed on Joe Rogan. He said, for every hundred guys who start, only one gets their blue belt. And I'd say that's pretty accurate based on the amount of people I see quit. But my why is simply self-defense, right? You were pointing out I have a Spartan behind me, Leonidas. And I value the warrior spirit. I feel I have a warrior's heart, as certainly you do as well. But my why was my daughter. My daughter was born, and I knew I couldn't defend her.

5:39 I knew I couldn't defend my family if somebody broke down my door. And now, even just being a blue belt, I mean, bro, somebody comes into my house who really doesn't have much ground game. As my professor always says, even if he's a boxer or a Muay Thai guy, it's like throwing a tiger into a shark tank. Once I get that motherfucker on the ground, I feel pretty confident if he doesn't know anything. If he's a purple belt, I'm fucked, right? But if he doesn't know anything, I'm screwed.

6:01 So you immersed yourself in this for five years, lived next to the JoJo, went all the time. What was your why as to why you did this? Like, why would you even bother? Did you just like it? First of all, I'll say, Mark, it's really impressive to me that you admitted that you don't really enjoy it. Because a lot of people don't do that in life, right? And they'll just pretend it's great and carry on. And it's even more impressive to me that you still go back.

6:25 That says a hell of a lot about you and the type of person you are. I mean it. I'm not just throwing out a compliment that really says a lot about you. To be honest, I'm at the stage in the game. I'm a bit older now. My body, like, jiu-jitsu hurts me now. It really hurts my body. I have a lot. My lower back is always tight and sore the next day. And I love being on the mat with the guys. I love hanging out with my friends and the students and teaching and all those things.

6:50 But the actual sparring element of jiu-jitsu, I don't really enjoy that that much anymore. But I'm the same as you. I do it because that's why I do it. I do it because I don't enjoy it. And I know, like, it's good for me, right? Like, I know it's good for me. So I respect you very much for doing that. The why, the truth is, man, when I was young and I started, I was just very good at it. I was very, very good at it.

7:12 I had a natural aptitude for it. And I saw a path in my mind where I could make it my career and build a business out of it. And, you know, like, build a legacy for my family. That was the why for a long time as to why I did it. And I think that's one of the things that allowed me to just push through a lot. That was one of the, from your memory, one of the downest moments. And while you think about that, I'm just going to tell you my own.

7:39 I popped my knee out really bad while I was around a two-stripe white belt. Hurt my back many times. Been injured countless times. I'm 45. I don't know how old you are. How old are you? Are you around that age? I'm 42. Okay. Yeah. They say when you get in your 40s that jiu-jitsu really, they have a picture of a guy. He's a block of ice. And it says, when the doctor tells you to ice where it hurts after a BJJ practice, right? He's just an entire block of ice, right?

8:06 Yeah. So for me, that was like my down point. My hip went out and my knee was out. And I was like, yo, is this worth it? Because I set the goal. I just, I wanted to achieve my blue belt. That was the, that was the goal I set. So what was the, did you have a come to Jesus meeting as they say, where it's like you almost rang that bell and said, fuck this and ain't worth it. And you almost quit. I've had, I've had a bunch, man, a bunch, one of the first ones.

8:30 I mean, I've had bad, not bad injuries. I've had injuries that have been challenging knee. I've had a tough knee one as well. I remember I made it to this, one of the biggest competitions in the world. I won the national qualifier to fight in the ADCC Jiu-Jitsu World Cup in Abu Dhabi. So got an all expenses paid trip to go there and fight there. And in my first round, I drew one of the best fighters in the world at the time. And the guy just bashed me.

8:57 It was not, not even a contest for him really. And then in the second division, the absolute division, I drew him again, the same guy. And he thrashed me just as bad. And I remember at that point, I was like, I don't know if I've got this in me. I don't know if I want to keep doing this. And there have been other points, you know, especially, like I said, when you get older and, you know, sometimes I just wake up and my body is so sore.

9:20 It's a battle to continue. I'm not going to lie. It's difficult, right? But the rewards always exceed the price. The gift that comes is always worth the price that's paid. What are some of the gifts? Not too dissimilar from yours, but, you know, like in a room of men who don't train Jiu-Jitsu, like, I mean, you just have a presence that they don't have, right? Like, I only know that because when I go into a room, like the world championships where everyone else is a good black belt, you know, I just don't feel like a superhero anymore.

9:51 I'm like, shit, like these guys are all as good as me or better generally. So when you're not in that environment, when you're just moving through the regular, through regular life, you really get a newfound appreciation of, man, if it comes down to hand-to-hand combat, like against an untrained guy, it's not even, it's not even a fair match, right? So that gives you a sort of a presence in the world, a physical presence that I think I appreciate, like knowing that, sure. I mean, look, if I walk into a gang in South Central LA, like I'm not going to be able to take care of myself against a group of guys with knives and guns.

10:23 But generally, like if some guy looks at me weird on the street, I'm not going to back down, right? I'm like, I've got like some skills, some tools, right? And besides that, I think even way more important than that is the camaraderie and the group of men that I've become friends with, that I have in my life, this amazing group of men. It's just been one of the biggest gifts of my life. Like I've met such profoundly special people doing jujitsu and I am truly grateful for them.

10:56 Yeah. What I think about too, you know, is if you do what's easy in life, your life will be hard. When you do what's hard, your life will be easy. And like you hear about people who have achieved their black belt in karate. Now, I'm not hating on karate. Certainly someone could kick you in the face when you're trying to shoot in for a double leg and the fight's over, right? It has its place. But what I love about jujitsu, and I always say this to people, is that it's real.

11:20 And what I mean it's real is life is hard. Life is going to throw you shit that you're going to need to dig deep to get past. And every time I walk on that mat, I'm nervous. Every time I pull in the parking lot, I'm legit nervous. Nothing else does that for me. Like when I go mountain biking, I'm not nervous. When I go fishing, I'm not nervous. When I go into the woods, go camping, not really nervous. But BJJ, that shit makes me nervous. And it's that crucible of training for life.

11:47 Because if life isn't making you nervous, then maybe you're not pushing yourself enough. And that's cool. Right. And so when it comes to girls too, and Nick, you know, I teach dudes how to get girls. A lot of guys will quit and pussy out and not ever get the girls they really want. They're chosen rather than actually choosing the girl because they're scared to do one of the most fearful things that a guy can do, which is learn how to approach an attractive woman, get her attracted to you, be unapologetic about it, and move into your fear willingly.

12:20 Right. I have a quote I love. Follow your fears. It's very simple. Follow your fears because that's where peace is. So I'm really surprised to hear you say that even as a black belt, you still wonder if it's worth it. Because in my eyes, right, I'm a blue belt. I think once you get to a black belt level, everything's solved. Like you're just the master. Like everything's easy. But it sounds to me that it's actually harder because you're held to that high level and people are out for you.

12:48 Do you have a target on your back? I mean, yeah. Everyone wants to beat a black belt, right? Like... Yeah, I would. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean... And man, some of them can beat black belts. With the level of the modern game, I was saying to someone recently that the good purple belts of today are like the black belts from when I was coming up. Really? Like the game has just evolved so much. Yeah. And, you know, I was just teaching a camp the other day, two, three weeks ago in Northern California with my instructor, right?

13:17 And my instructor just... He kicks the shit out of me like I'm a white belt. He beats me like I'm a little girl, basically. Like it's... Yeah, it's nuts. And I had that thing that you had. Like I got nervous because I had to spar with him. And it's very rare that someone beats me up as bad as he beats me. And I wasn't looking forward to it. My ego didn't want to deal with it. I didn't want to spar with him. I was like, I don't want to do this.

13:40 But I found the courage somehow. I found the courage to do it. And he beat me up. He humbled me. It was truly humbling. It was a good experience. And I'm going to go back for more next time he's in town. I'm going to go get another beating because it's good for your mind. Good for your spirit. What did he catch you with? What didn't he catch me with, man? Really? It was just one after another? Yeah. Just beat me up for five minutes straight. I think he tapped me like maybe four or five times.

14:05 Yeah. Is he one of those guys from the lineage, right? One of those dudes from Brazil? Yeah, he is. He's a Gracie, yeah. Oh, he's a Gracie. Okay. Well, shit, man. I mean, he is the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter that ever walked the face of the earth. Is it Hickson? Is it Hickson? No, it's Roger. Roger's better than Hickson. Oh, it's Roger. Yeah, yeah. Is he really? I thought Hickson was the main dude. I mean, he was 30 years ago. But Roger's six foot five and outweighs him by 50 pounds.

14:32 And it just competed in a much more challenging era. I mean, Hickson is an idol of mine. I love the guy and I respect him. Yeah. But in their primes, Roger versus Hickson, Roger would have beaten him for sure. No doubt about it in my mind. That's impressive to hear that you would voluntarily get on the mat and continue to be humbled. Because I feel like once you get the black belt, a lot of people, and tell me if I'm wrong, maybe a lot of black belts would kind of try to protect the belt and not put themselves in a situation where they could be beat.

15:02 I think in other martial arts, that's true. But Jiu-Jitsu doesn't really allow that, man. Like Jiu-Jitsu, it's one of the shitty things as well about Jiu-Jitsu. Like where a friend said to me once, he said, Jiu-Jitsu is the only sport in which the coach is expected to be able to beat all the players. Yeah. And look, man, I can only just hang on with the 20-year-olds now. Like I can only just. Right. But because I'm in shape and I'm very skilled, right? In five years, I don't know if I'll be able to do that.

15:33 And there's going to come a point where I won't be able to hang on. I mean, I'm ready for it, but yeah, it's kind of tough. I go in next to a college, next to CSU, Colorado State University, bro. It's all 20-year-olds that are like D1 wrestlers, right? I'm 45 and just get, fuck, dude. It's like these guys spaz out, especially the new white belts. They're dangerous as fuck, man. I've gotten a black guy, a kid like hit his head into me and just let me freaking spaz and you can't do much.

15:59 So, but that's what a real fight's going to be. And that's why I like BJJ. So I want to talk a little bit about perseverance and having a never quit attitude. I'm absolutely obsessed, Nick, with the never quit attitude, particularly when it comes to things like BJJ, things like spec ops guys, like Navy SEALs, right? They go into BUDS training, 100 guys go in, only like eight graduate because they will literally die before they quit. Do you have any theories as to what it is inside a person?

16:28 And this is a question that I don't necessarily expect you to answer. I'm kind of throwing you a hard one here, but it fascinates the hell out of me. And I know psychologists are looking for that reason. What is it that will make this guy just not quit? Do you have any theories as to what that is and why people are able to achieve these almost like inhuman goals that these guys are achieving yet other people who look like absolute gods come into say BUDS training and they quit in the first day?

16:57 Where's the difference in the psychology? It just fascinates me. Yeah, it fascinates me too. And funnily enough, I had a Navy, a former Navy SEAL on my, uh, on my podcast. I recorded it not even two weeks ago and I asked him that exact same question. And cause he, he actually obviously passed the, the BUDS week and the, and the whole thing. He became a Navy SEAL and he said it was for him, it was his why his why was big enough. Right. Yeah. And I think, I think there's definitely something to that, but I'm going to be honest with you, Mark, I don't have a never quit belief system.

17:28 I definitely persevere and I continue to keep trying and pushing, but there is a point where I realized that attitude actually holds me back or holds people back. The example that comes to mind in my life is I had a business that I ran with a friend for many years, for seven years. And the business reached a certain level of success, but it had plateaued. And he and I, we were just arguing and fighting consistently. It would just never end. And there came a point where I just, I actually said, this is not working.

18:01 This is not going to work. It's just not going to work. And I realized at that point, it was the more intelligent thing to do to quit. It actually took more courage to quit than it took to carry on. Yeah. Does that make sense? It's a, it's a paradox, but it's, it's an interesting one. You have to sometimes identify when things just aren't working. And obviously the never quit attitude can be fatalistic at times, right? It can back you into a corner. I like to watch that show Shark Tank.

18:28 I'm sure you've seen it. And Kevin O'Leary, what do they call him? Mr. Wonderful. That's what he called himself. He's great. He's like, time to take the business idea behind the barn and shoot it in the head, right? He's so blunt, dude. I love that, dude. But you know what? Sometimes that's true when it comes to certain endeavors. And you have to know when to throw in the towel and when to keep persevering. And that begs the question, how do you figure out which one's the right way to go?

18:53 I have an answer to that, and that's something that was taught to me by my coach. The further you go into anything, the deeper you go into it, or the higher you go up the levels of anything, at some point you'll eventually find there's an inherent paradox. There's something that can be argued either way, right? Like, should I quit or should I continue or whatever it might be? Or they say at the heart of love, you'll find hate. And at the heart of hate, you'll find love.

19:18 There's an inherent paradox at the deepest part of everything. And I think the answer to that, when you find that, when you come to that paradox and you're like, look, am I wanting to quit now because I'm being lazy? Or am I wanting to quit now because this is an inherently unworkable situation? The only way to solve that is through discernment. That word discernment is a word that we don't use much in the modern world, but it's such an important word. As you become a man, as you become a self-actualized human being, you have to really master the art of discernment because there are many confusing things in life.

19:56 Many of them. There are many situations in which you will not be given an answer from the outside world. You won't be able to listen to a podcast or read a book or go to a mentor or go to someone. And you will have to use your own internal discernment to answer. And so to me, that's the answer to your question. It's using your own discernment. All right. So I'm in a situation right now where I got my blue belt. I achieved it, right? I'm finding I'm getting really bad tendonitis right here in my elbow from pulling the gi and my fingers are all jacked up.

20:25 And my purpose is to defend myself. Okay. And I prefer no gi because there's not as much of that pulling and it kind of seems easier on my tendonitis. What would you as a coach recommend? My only objective, like, bro, I'm not trying to do sport jujitsu. I don't give a shit about that. What I care about is I'm walking down the street and somebody attacks me and my family. I'm watching TV with my girls. I have a daughter and I have a woman and somebody breaks in and I need to neutralize that person.

20:55 At the point that I'm at now, you know, I don't enjoy BJJ. Sometimes I do. I'm not going to say it's complete a hundred percent, right? Like when I get taps, I'm not going to lie, bro. Like it feels pretty good, but I don't want to continue on the track that I've been just to get better at choking people with their gi because the chances of a guy wearing a gi when he breaks into my house are near zero, right? He might be wearing a jacket.

21:17 So if I were to pursue maintenance mode with no gi and perhaps get into boxing or something else or MMA, could you help guide me? Because this is a question that's been on my mind. Yeah. And it's an excellent question. And I think you're on the way to having the right answer. You know, the thing with martial arts, right, is especially something like Jiu Jitsu is you're training your awareness. You're training your ability to deal with an uncomfortable situation, right? As you said in the beginning, you know, life is challenging, life is difficult.

21:47 And I think at this point you would get as much or more from adding or even trading the Jiu Jitsu for wrestling or no gi or boxing or Muay Thai or something like that. You know, I've often said, I mean, there's no doubt in my mind that I've been training Jiu Jitsu for 20 years, but a guy who's trained Jiu Jitsu for two years, boxing for two years, Muay Thai for two years, and wrestling for two years will probably kick the shit out of me. There's no doubt about it, right?

22:16 Really? You think that? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think that as long as he's got like enough Jiu Jitsu to neutralize my Jiu Jitsu and he knows how to strike, you'll probably beat me in a fight, right? So this idea, like you even said earlier, you've got enough to beat an untrained guy, but you still want to do that thing that's keeping you in that place where you're challenging yourself and you're uncomfortable and everything like that. And as I said, any functional martial art, like boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, Judo, I mean, I wouldn't do some garbage, like, I mean, I'm not even going to name them, but most martial arts are garbage.

22:50 I would do one of those. Or what I would say is if your hands and your elbows are giving you issues, you need to counter stretch a lot, putting your arm in extension. So you can flexion a lot from gripping, your fingers are going into flexion, so you need to go into extension and like do that kind of stuff a hell of a lot to counter the repetitive strain injury that you're starting to develop. I don't want to back you into a corner the way you did me when I came on your episode.

23:17 Do it, do it. I can take it. All right, I got to ask, bro, because I see it everywhere. Krav Maga. I'm going to be honest. I think it's bullshit. I've always thought Krav Maga is bullshit. It's a really hokey, weird kind of thing that's like, give me a guy who's trained, like, this is the way I'd put it. Let's say it's the end of the world and there's roving gangs of street thugs that are, or anarchists that are wandering around in you and someone gives me the option.

23:45 I can have five jujitsu black belts with me for the end of the world or five Krav Maga experts. It doesn't even, it's not even a question in my mind. Like I take the jujitsu guys. In fact, I take five wrestlers over five Krav Maga guys, or I take five boxers, or I take five Muay Thai guys or five judo guys. I just, I just don't buy it, man. It's, it's just hokey. And don't get me wrong. There are some tough guys who do Krav Maga that would be tough if they did anything.

24:10 Right. Yeah. But if another, let me give you another thought experiment. If you took two identical twin brothers at 18 years old and a Krav Maga guy, and you gave one to a Krav Maga guy to train for six months and one to me to train for six months in jujitsu and then put them in a room and see who would survive that encounter. I'd put my money on the jujitsu guy every single day of the week. Like, there's just no doubt in my mind. Yeah. Right.

24:35 Yeah. And even like, I would put my money on a jujitsu guy, no matter what the other fighter is like a Muay Thai guy. There was a, there was a fight between, um, uh, what was his name? He was one of the best Muay Thai guys. I really should have looked at this before we got on. And he fought, he was one of the best Muay Thai guys from Thailand. And he fought a guy who is a black dude from America who had a little bit of Muay Thai, but he was like a BJJ expert.

24:59 First round was all Muay Thai. So they're exchanging blows and it's like going pretty even, right? Second round, bro. He takes him to the ground, double leg takedown and chokes him out within like 15 seconds. And, and I, I turned to my girlfriend. I was like, dude, it's like throwing a tiger into a shark tank, right? If you can get the guy to the ground, then you can neutralize him. However, if there's three guys coming at you and you take one to the ground, the other guys are kicking you in the head.

25:24 And I have a, I have an old student who's a black belt in Krav Maga, awesome guy. And he's like, we trained for that situation, right? Which is where striking is imperative. So in lieu of doing Krav Maga, would you suggest boxing for me? Muay Thai, I've done some Muay Thai. Yeah, I'd say Muay Thai is an amazing art. It's hard on the body in your forties as well, right? Like any striking, real striking art is going to be hard on the body. And just to continue that analogy of throwing a tiger into a shark tank, if you go to a jiu-jitsu academy or, okay, let's say if you put an MMA fighter, a proper modern, well-rounded MMA fighter in with a jiu-jitsu guy, it's like putting a killer whale into a shark tank.

26:06 He's a better machine. He's a better unit. So keep that in mind. Like jiu-jitsu is not invincible. You know, like you see, that's why I think only one Gracie has won a match in the last 20 years in the UFC. It's because jiu-jitsu isn't MMA anymore. It's been superseded. MMA is a thing of its own that's evolved beyond jiu-jitsu. But I would say to you, man, maybe the best thing for you is to do no gi because there's no damage on the fingers. I think that might be the way forwards for you.

26:34 Yeah, I believe so too. So, you know, as guys listen to this, this is an extremely selfish conversation on my half. But I hope guys are getting benefit from this, which is, you know, doing things like BJJ or, you know, even if you want to do things like Krav Maga or Kung Fu. Listen, any martial art, as Nick said, is beneficial because it puts you through challenges. But basically, I think the overall theme of this, well, again, it was very selfish on my half, is to put yourself in discomfort willingly because that's where growth happens, right?

27:03 Growth doesn't happen in the comfort zone. It happens in the uncomfort zone. And specifically with women, boys, like I can't see any good reason to quit trying to get better with women. Like we talked about what's the good reason to quit. Okay, business isn't working. But if you're trying to get better with women and it's not working, in my opinion, it's time to double down and even go further into not fucking quitting. And continue trying because the woman you end up with is a reflection of you as a man.

27:28 And if you have a good woman behind you, I'll tell you, man, you can grow so much further as a man. So, Nick, any thoughts on that before we wrap this up? Yeah, just to clarify, I said specifically doing things, doing martial arts that make you or put you in uncomfortable, challenging situations. I don't think that's any martial art. I largely don't think that's Kung Fu. Like, I don't think Kung Fu is a functional martial art or Krav Maga. Yeah, I just don't buy that stuff.

27:54 Yeah. But any functional martial art, MMA, boxing, wrestling, judo, nogi, grappling, sport, jiu-jitsu, and I'm sure there's a couple others I'm missing. But if you do a functional martial art, that would do it. Regarding the woman and the dating element, I mean, I'm not an expert like you are, so I won't give any advice there. But I really appreciated what you said about the woman that you're with is a reflection of the type of man that you are or the man that you've become. I think there is something to that.

28:24 I know that as I've upgraded myself as a human being and a man, I've noticed, like, the woman in my life have generally reflected that. So I think that's a really astute observation. Yeah. And I just did a podcast that actually released today, 10 Biggest Regrets That People Have When They Die. And one of the biggest regrets is, you know, the people around you, the people who you surround yourself with, and definitely the woman who you choose to settle down with. Many guys, and I hear this all the time, Nick, because I get on the phone with these guys all the time.

28:55 They just settle for the first girl that picks them. You know, oh, she likes me. She's pretty cute. She's got a decent personality. And then they spend their life with this person. And women, too, right, who settle for a guy because they can't do much better. Get to the end of their life massively regretting that. So what I love about BJJ, again, is, you know, it forces you into your fears, and that's where growth is. And I'll tell you, I think you'll know when a martial art is functional when you're nervous pulling into the parking lot because that's my definition.

29:25 And my heart's going to say, man, when I'm walking into BJJ, I'm like, oh, I hate this, man, but I just got to go do it. And then by the end, right, you never regret it. It's just like you never regret the girl you approached. You always regret the girl you didn't approach. And it's the same thing with BJJ or working out at the gym. You never regret after you're done with that workout or that BJJ match. So, Nick, I really appreciate your insight. Thank you for allowing this to be a largely selfish conversation on my half because these are questions I've been wondering that I haven't brought up with my own professor, mostly just because of time.

29:55 It's not that he wouldn't speak to me about it. But coming from a master like you, a guy who I highly respect, I really do appreciate it. Tell us where the boys can find you. I got a huge following, and I know they'd love to hear your podcast as well. Thanks, Mark. It's been a fun conversation. I actually was not expecting it to be so jiu-jitsu heavy, but it's cool that it was. You asked some cool questions. If you want to find out more about my work and if you want to get a free copy of my book, Align, The Modern Man's Guide to Health, Wealth, and Freedom, head over to my website.

30:26 It's coachnickg.com. And that's Nick with no K. So just coachnickg.com. You can get a copy of my book, and you can find my podcast, The Nicholas Gaboratti Show there as well. And guys, Nick's the real deal. He's been on the Joe Rogan podcast as well as many other podcasts. So I'm honored that you would take the time to come on to my podcast and extremely honored that I was on your podcast. And boys, go listen to that one. When's it dropping? I mean, today is, what, the 14th of June?

30:56 When's it dropping? Yeah, there was quite a few in the queue ahead of yours. That's why it hasn't been released yet, but it'll be any week now, probably the next two weeks, I would say. Okay, cool. So if you're listening to this, and this is probably going to drop, just so you know, Nick, it's probably going to drop in about a week or two. So by the time this is dropped, you'll probably hear that episode. Man, he hits me with some questions, guys, about frame control, about is it like creepy to be a pickup artist?

31:18 Are you just contriving your personality? So I was able to answer it like the jiu-jitsu, verbal jiu-jitsu wizard I was. And no, it was an awesome, awesome interview. One of my favorites, as was this one. So Nick, thank you so much for coming by. I do appreciate you. And Professor, so much respect, honestly. Hopefully one day we can roll together and I can see some of that brilliance. So gentlemen, as you know, I drop podcasts on Mondays and Thursdays. So please stay tuned for the next one and I will see you in the next episode.

31:50 We'll see you in the next episode.

This transcript was made automatically, so a few words may be off.