In this episode, I chat with female brown belt and Pan Am Champ, AJ Clingerman, about her story, her signature Roll Model Grappling Camp and what it takes to become a leader and roll model in jiujitsu and build an intimate, inclusive and engaged community.
About AJ:
Based out of Indiana, AJ is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Head Roll Model in Charge! AJ is also the Co-Owner of Roll Model Grappling Academy. She trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and competes in many grappling tournaments. As a Purple Belt AJ won such notable tournaments as No-Gi Worlds and Gi Pans. AJ teaches multiple BJJ classes per week as well as coaches business owners on how to grow their businesses.
What You'll Learn:
- Who AJ is and her BJJ journey
- What the Roll Model Grappling Camp is
- Her inspiration and mission behind creating the Roll Model Grappling Camp is
- How the Camp has evolved over the years and her creative process is creating camps every year
- Her journey and unfolding of becoming a leader in jiujitsu
- What she feels are the top skills or traits needed to be an effective leader
- What she feels makes for an ineffective leader
- How she deals with and addresses conflict within her academy
- Her tips for those looking to step into an instructor role at their academy
- Her insight on what she believes is the key to creating an engaged community
- How to get started in being more inclusive in your academy
- Her tips for cultivating a community from scratch and where to start
- Her stance on authenticity and how it relates building an engaged community
- Her advice for dealing with imposter syndrome
- Her tips for athletes in feeling more confident on the mats and in their BJJ journey
- What her current BJJ goals are and her future vision for Roll Model Camps
Episode Resources:
Register For Female Only Roll Model Camp: https://rollmodelswanted.com/
AJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajclingerman/
Roll Model Grappling Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rollmodelgrappling/
Podcast Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodybybossllc/
