Who Could You Be If You Stayed? | Stress Test #008

This week on SYSTEM Stress Test, we're doing something different.

What started as a conversation about why people quit jiu-jitsu turned into one of the most personal conversations we've had.

Jacen opens up about growing up without a positive male role model, finding people who believed in him when he didn't believe in himself, and why he feels obligated to pay that forward.

Nick shares his own story of divorce, losing his stepfather, struggling with alcoholism, and eventually walking away from jiu-jitsu as a black belt. He talks about hitting rock bottom, the people who refused to give up on him, and what it took to find his way back.

We get into quitting, starting over, identity, the responsibility of being a coach, and why the relationships we build on the mats can mean far more than the sport itself.

Not everyone needs to train jiu-jitsu forever. But before you walk away from something important, there might be a question worth asking:

Who could you be if you stayed? Who are you if you quit?

SYSTEM Stress Test with Nick Kugelman and Jacen Flynn.

Ideas are easy. Resistance tells the truth.