"It is not flesh and blood, but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.

— Johann Friedrich Von Schiller

“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.”

— Anne Geddes

“Motherhood is tough. Moms are tougher.”

— Keion Jackson

“Mother’s Day is for celebrating the nurturers, the givers, the huggers and helpers, the day-makers and life-changers… and that’s just what you are!”

— Keely Chace

“Nicholas Meregali has the kind of Gi game that everyone admires - fast tactical gripping into smooth positional advances finishing with devastating submissions. He has one of the most exciting Gi games ever seen, full of technical nuance, some beautiful original moves and that unmistakable Brazilian flair for movement and opportunity that characterizes so many of the top athletes from that Nation.”

— John Danaher

The Ruotolo brothers started competing at the age of 3 and had many accomplishments growing up as kids in the Jiu Jitsu community. Both have competed in some of the best tournaments our sport has to offer.

Known for their very acrobatic yet technical games and laid back personas outside the mats. They earned the interest of the clothing company RVCA, who first sponsored the twins when they were just 10 years old.

The twins grew up training in the Gi and for the last few years have been focusing mainly on NoGi. The boys currently compete against the top black belts in the world and they are still actively competing in both Gi and NoGi.

Tainan Dalpra, the AOJ superstar, is one of the most dominant Gi player and considered one of the best pound-for-pound black belts in the world.

After an incredible colored belt career, Tainan Dalpra was promoted to black belt by his mentor Guilherme Mendes in 2020. He was one of the first names out of the Believe & Achieve Scholarship Program at AOJ to gain notoriety in the sport’s international circuit.

“Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better? Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”

― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

The mission of the WHM is to empower its participants with happiness, strength, and health. By harnessing the power of the breath and mind, then using cold exposure to exercise self control. The confidence created from the Deliberate Cold Exposure can be used to overcome fears and stress.