Fire, smoke,
and patience.
I got into BBQ the same way I get into most things — by wanting to understand how it actually works. The Kamado Joe is a ceramic kamado-style grill that holds temperature for hours, which means if you set it up right, you can smoke a brisket low-and-slow and go about your day.
It's the same logic as a well-designed system. Control the variables, trust the process, don't fiddle with it unnecessarily.
"Good BBQ can't be rushed. That's the whole point."
Beyond the smoker, I cook a lot at home — soups that simmer all day, Sunday roasts, meals that take time to build. I'm Brazilian, so food is always communal, always generous.
The mat teaches
everything.
BJJ is one of the most honest things I do. You can't fake it. You either understand the position or you don't, and someone much smaller than you will make that very clear, very quickly.
It teaches humility in a way that sticks. When you tap out, you learn. When you solve a problem on the mat, it's through patience and systems thinking — not force.
"Lose your ego before it loses you a better outcome."
The team photo above is from our academy — a group of people with completely different lives who all show up, week after week, to get better. That culture is something I try to bring into every environment I work in.
