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The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting / Grapplearts Radio

Stephan Kesting

This podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve the highest levels of success, fulfillment and character. Regardless of where you’ve come from, to become the best version of yourself you mu...

Episodes

20 of 450 episodes

450 - Save the Fear for Later; Discipline, Fear Management & Survival Lessons from Champion Freediver Anna von Boetticher

Anna von Boetticher is a freediving champion, and she joins us today to share her profound insights into the fascinating world of freediving...

01:28:13Sep 10, 2026

449 - Why Jiu-Jitsu is NOT for Everyone, with James Deirmendjian

Thrilled to have James Deirmendjian on the podcast to discuss why jiu-jitsu might NOT be for everyone, the benefits of training with practit...

48:16Jul 8, 2026

448 - The Forgotten Jiu-Jitsu Practitioner Who Taught Maeda (and Ultimately the Gracies) Groundfighting

Most people know that BJJ descended from Kodokan Judo which came from traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu systems. But the Kodokan was initially...

40:13Jun 17, 2026

447 - Making Your BJJ Training Safer and Much More Effective with Chris "The Villain" Paines

Chris is a BJJ and Luta Livre black belt teaching in the UK and has many radical ideas about teaching and training BJJ which could change th...

59:01Jun 1, 2026

446 - Building a Community BJJ Dojo in Kenya with Just Shiggi!

Shiggi loves BJJ and thinks that it can build and change communities in Africa, and is on a mission to open a community dojo in Kenya aimed...

48:40Apr 7, 2026

445 - The Most Dangerous Day of My Arctic Journey and What It Taught Me About Satisfaction and Happiness

In today's episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast , I share the story of dealing with storms, giant tides, and the ever-present threat of pol...

20:47Mar 19, 2026

444 - Stoicism and BJJ, with Adisa Banjoko

How your journey through BJJ can intersect with and is helped by Stoicism, with Adisa Banjoko. It gets pretty personal as we go beyond the s...

01:15:57Mar 4, 2026

443 - Twenty-seven Red Flags to Avoid When Picking a BJJ Club

Telltale traits of toxic schools by Stephan Kesting, a BJJ black belt for 20 years. Did he miss any red flags? RED FLAGS 01:24 No cross-trai...

39:02Feb 24, 2026

442 - Building a Positive Gym Culture in BJJ, with Josh Peters

How to create a professional environment and a welcoming gym culture at your BJJ school, and what people do wrong, with Josh Peters. Josh is...

57:00Feb 2, 2026

441 - The Science of Fighting and Training MMA, with Ian Harris

How to train MMA effectively, efficiently, and safely, with Ian Harris from Fight Science. Ian has more than 40 years of martial arts experi...

01:27:55Jan 20, 2026

440 - Training Methods and Cross Training in Jiu-Jitsu, with Josh Peters and Stephan Kesting

Josh Peters and Stephan Kesting look at the evolution of effective teaching methods, school culture, risk, cross-training, and why you want...

01:00:02Dec 16, 2025

439 - The Real Catch Wrestling and What it Can Teach Jiu-Jitsu, with Val 'The Crippler' Childs

Catch wrestling was a brutal method for settling disputes on the American Frontier as well as one of the largest, most respected spectator s...

01:04:15Dec 2, 2025

438 - Crafting Your Ideal Jiu-Jitsu Journey, with Tom Wortman

AOJ black belt Tom Wortman is a fierce competitor; he won IBJJ Pans, Euros, North Americans and Master Worlds in a single year as a brown be...

59:08Nov 18, 2025

437 - Adam Shoalts, Vanished Beyond the Map

Canoeist and author Adam Shoalts on the mindset that drives individuals to seek adventure, and the importance of safety and decision-making...

39:55Nov 4, 2025

436 - How Training Your Submissions as Positions Takes Your Game to the Next Level, with Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models

Today the tables get turned and I end up on the other end of the microphone as Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models picks my brain about the hu...

58:08Oct 28, 2025

435 - Roy Dean and the Origins of BJJ in North America

Renowned BJJ blackbelt Roy Dean came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about his research into how BJJ got started in North America, m...

01:02:36Oct 21, 2025

434 - High-Percentage BJJ Competition Strategies with Beatrice 'Berimbozo' Jin

Beatrice Jin shares the competition strategies that have allowed her to become the American National adult black belt middleweight champion...

54:34Oct 7, 2025

433 - How Jiu-Jitsu Builds an Unshakeable Self Confidence, with Alicia Reitz

Alicia Reitz and I dive deep into how BJJ can be used to develop a strong sense of self confidence for everyone, and how that self confidenc...

51:07Sep 23, 2025

432 - Hybrid Training 4: Optimal Conditioning for Winning BJJ Tournaments, with James Deirmendjian

James Deirmendjian a strength and conditioning coach specialising in combat and tactical athletes who ALSO competes in BJJ, fighting against...

57:54Sep 9, 2025

431 - Hybrid Training 3: Mixing Ultramarathon and Strength Training with James Pieratt

James Pieratt from Wild Hunt Conditioning joins us to share what he learned on an expedition in which he ran 802 miles through nearly the en...

53:41Sep 1, 2025