There is almost no greater pet peeve I have in Jiu Jitsu, than an insecure man denigrating my accomplishments due to a preconceived notion about the way my body moves. Basically, what this refers to is when a larger guy has difficulties when rolling with me, his automatic ingrained response is to blurt out something […]
Read moreReflections
Samantha Schell Anxiety, BJJ, Competing, Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance, Positivity, self confidence bjj, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, courage, female empowerment, Jiu Jitsu, MMA, strength, WMMA 2
I write about Jiu Jitsu and MMA a lot, often interspersed with my own feelings, thoughts, and experiences throughout this journey. But I have been unfair to my readers who think they are privy to the innermost workings of my mind and the things that make me tick. See, I don’t often divulge the hard […]
Read moreI’m a Real Boy
Samantha Schell BJJ, mental health, Overcoming Adversity, Positivity, self confidence beautiful, bjj, Jiu Jitsu, manly, muscles, self confidence, self esteem, WMMA 4
Move over Pinocchio, there is only one character in the story of my life working hard to become a real boy, and it ain’t some wooden ragamuffin of a puppet, so tell Gepetto to take several seats. The more you publicly put yourself out there in the world, the more you open yourself out there […]
Read moreAm That Bitch, Still That Bitch, Ahh.
Several people approached me at Master’s Worlds in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, asking for advice going into their matches on competition day, because of this blog right here. It’s crazy to me, because all I did was start a tiny little outlet for my words, and I am not a therapist in any […]
Read moreSmooth Like Butter
Samantha Schell Adaptation, BJJ, Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance bjj, diet, Jiu Jitsu, MMA, nutrition, weight cut, weight loss
Wake up. Cardio. Eat. Train. Sleep. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. My schedule is like clockwork; from my training to my cleaning and chores schedule, to my meal prep. A semblance of control in a chaotic life that allows a ship to sail as smoothly as possible, creating the false illusion that nothing is out of line. […]
Read moreThere’s No Business Like Show Business
Samantha Schell Anxiety, BJJ, Competing, Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance, Positivity bjj, Jiu Jitsu, performance, positivity, resiliency, WMMA
I guess we’re all performers in one way or another. Whether it’s our work life, or personal life, or the face that we present to the public. There is certainly a part of us that acts, even if it’s just acting like things don’t bother us or that we don’t care. Currently that’s me. I […]
Read moreNobody Cares, Work Harder
Samantha Schell Adaptation, BJJ, Perseverance, Positivity bjj, fighter, Jiu Jitsu, perseverance, positivity, WMMA
It’s crazy all of the things that can happen behind the scenes whilst in preparation for a big opportunity or event in your life. In regards to an athlete, it’s often a big game or match (for me, a fight or competition). Whilst others may be a career-oriented opportunity or a networking event. I know […]
Read moreCompetition Mindset
Samantha Schell BJJ, Competing, Perseverance, Positivity bjj, Competition, Jiu Jitsu, mental health, mindset, MMA, WMMA
I compete all the time, but my dumb ass seems to have had a mental block lately when it comes to turning on that different mindset so that it transcends from training, to competition. It’s hard; not everyone has that championship mentality switch that they can turn on and off at a moments notice. Then, […]
Read moreLook Them In The Eye
Samantha Schell Anxiety, BJJ, Competing, Perseverance, Positivity bjj, good vibes, Jiu Jitsu, positivity, sincerity, truth 2
So the other day I was in the deli line at Harris Teeter, and I was watching a woman order her Boar’s Head cold cuts in a rushed and dismissive manner. The young man working the counter must have been 20 at most, and was enthusiastically greeting his customer and engaging in polite conversation to […]
Read more1% Better
Samantha Schell Adaptation, BJJ, Competing, Perseverance, Positivity adversity, bjj, challenges, Competition, Jiu Jitsu, overcome 4
There’s a common saying in Jiu Jitsu, that every day we strive to be 1% better. Do you know how difficult and pretty much impossible it is to be a whole ass percentage better than you were the previous day as far as continuity on that path goes? That’s because progress isn’t linear, but instead, […]
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