When we met Brian, he was struggling. Brian had just come back from deployment to his wife and two kids, both under the age of two. He had been working with special mission units and was awarded a Purple Heart for bravery in action when he was shot in Somalia. Suddenly he found himself, going from being hyper aware and dodging bullets, to making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sitting in the car line at preschool. He was angry and lost.

When Brian's wife brought him into his first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class, it was a major turning point for him. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu helps veterans adapt to civilian life by offering rushes of adrenaline and “combat style” physical training but in a controlled, disciplined environment. Each class allowed Brian to talk to other veterans, helping the feelings of isolation to slowly melt away.

Brian is now part owner of a martial arts studio as well as a successful director at a government contractor.

Jiu-Jitsu was a lifeline when he and his family needed one.

Brian was the inspiration for Balanced Life Warriors. He inspired us to partner with the University of South Florida, School of Health to study the effects of yoga and jiu jitsu on combat veterans with symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Over the last ten years, we have developed an evidence-based curriculum that produces clinically significant improvement in their day to day lives.

Now it is time to transition from a clinical study to an active non profit, engaging struggling male and female veterans as well as first responders into our Balanced Life Warriors lifestyle. The goal is to expand our network of affiliate schools first in Florida, then across the United States and Europe over the next five years, allowing us to reach our five year milestone of positively impacting the lives of 10,000 veterans, first responders and their families.