What if the secret to winning—on the mat, in business, and in life—wasn’t about overpowering your opponent, but about understanding them better than they understand themselves?
In this episode, BJJ World Champion and entrepreneur David Meyer shares the life-changing lesson he learned from a crushing defeat at the World Championships in Rio. Discover how the principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can help you close multimillion-dollar deals, build powerful partnerships, and even navigate tough conversations in today’s divided world.
You’ll learn:
- The 3 rules for guiding anyone to a win-win outcome
- How to leave your ego at the door and unlock new opportunities
- Real stories from the world of martial arts and business
- How to apply these lessons to product development, marketing, job interviews, and more
If you want to become a better negotiator, leader, or communicator, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiring stories.
This episode was directed and presented by Dave Meyer, produced by Robbie Lockie, with music kindly provided by Robel Borja.
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Episode Sections
00:00 - Introduction: Lessons from the Mat
00:41 - Learning Through Loss: The 1998 World Championships
02:13 - The Power of Understanding What Others Want
02:38 - The Three Rules for Winning Negotiations
04:23 - Balancing Intent and Adaptability
05:31 - Applying the Rules: From Judo to Business
09:15 - Creating Win-Win Solutions for Sponsors
12:24 - Changing Perspective to Find New Options
13:48 - Product Development: Waterfall vs. Lean Startup
14:16 - Applying the Skill to Relationships and Politics
15:49 - The Three Rules Recap & Outro
Links for Show notes:
Music “Disambiguation” by Robel Borja https://open.spotify.com/artist/7j0DUZ79z4edeLkU2H1UoJ?si=eISl0YfaQ-yLThljs48j5A
Nino Schembri vs Dave Meyer 1998 BJJ World Championship
https://youtu.be/zUysb6lDl7c?si=PU69e1E-ySJGKyqM
Gene LeBell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_LeBell
Gokor Chivichyan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gokor_Chivichyan
Adopt-a-Pet
Cris Levy, Encore Media Partners
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristopher-levy/
https://encoremediapartners.com/
“Why It Pays to Get Inside the Head of Your Opponent,” published in the Journal “Psychological Science”
“Compliance Without Pressure: The Foot‑in‑the‑Door Technique,” published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1966-10825-001
Abbie Moore, head of product and ultimately the CEO of Adopt-a-Pet.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-moore/
Lean Startup
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