Melissa Will: Pioneer of Women's BJJ on 36 Years of Training & Building Inclusive Gyms | Ep. 19

The Ageless Warrior Lab · Dec 24, 2025 · 50m

In this BJJ Bonus episode, I sit down with Melissa Will—one of the true pioneers of women's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. With nearly 36 years on the mats, Melissa has been training longer than any other non-Brazilian woman in the world.

Melissa shares her incredible journey from being a 2nd-degree karate black belt to discovering BJJ at a seminar taught by John Will (who would later become her husband). She describes the moment she realized her karate was "useless" when pinned on the ground—and how learning the bridge and roll changed everything.

We discuss what it was like being the ONLY woman on…