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Denise Gamonal | BJJ Black Belt

@denisegamonal

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Brazilian-born 🇧🇷 BJJ Black Belt Professor 🥋
From extreme poverty to entrepreneurship.
Faith • Discipline • Resilience
Still learning. Still building ↓

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They told you to be tough. But nobody told you where toughness actually comes from.

On October 24th, I had the honor of teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the San Antonio Police Academy @sanantoniopd during the Women in Policing event, alongside an incredible group of women from different backgrounds.

Some wore uniforms. Others wore gis. But everyone stepped onto the same mat.

And that’s something I love about Jiu-Jitsu.

It doesn’t matter what title you carry, what you do for a living, or how strong you look on the outside.

On the mat, we all have something to learn.

Size matters. Strength matters. But so do leverage, technique, and the ability to stay calm when things get difficult.

I have spent years on the mats, and I am still learning.

That day reminded me why I love sharing this art. Different women. Different journeys. One common willingness to learn.

You don’t have to be fearless to be courageous. Sometimes courage is simply showing up.

My sincere gratitude to the San Antonio Police Department for the invitation and to every woman who shared the mats with me. It was an honor.

And thank you to KENS 5 News @kens5 for covering this special event.

💛 Have you ever stepped into something that intimidated you, only to discover you were more capable than you imagined?

Follow @denisegamonal for more real stories, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and moments that remind us what we’re capable of.

#WomenInPolicing #BrazilianJiuJitsu #WomenInSports #SelfDefense #SanAntonio by @denisegamonal

Some people go through hell… and somehow, they come out stronger.

But what happens between the moment everything falls apart and the moment the world sees their success?

The struggles nobody witnessed. The sacrifices nobody knew about. The stories that never made the headlines.

Those are the conversations I want to have.

Not just with champions, but with extraordinary people whose stories deserve to be heard.

🎙️ THE CHAMPIONS CODE with Denise Gamonal

COUNTDOWN TO NOV 1st

EPISODE 1 — MURILO BUSTAMANTE
🏆 UFC World Champion | Brazilian Top Team Co-Founder

📅 Sunday, November 1, 2026
🕚 11:00 AM CST

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.

This is only the beginning. ❤️

#TheChampionsCode #Countdown #MuriloBustamante BeyondTheTitles by @denisegamonal

You don’t get a black belt. You become someone who deserves one.

Most people never understand the difference.

It’s 10 years of choosing the mat when every part of you says no. It’s watching people quit — people who started the same day you did. It’s getting tapped out in front of everyone and showing up tomorrow anyway.

It’s crying in the car. Thinking about quitting. Coming back.

The belt didn’t change me. The journey did.

Every version of me that was too soft, too scared, too comfortable — died on that mat.

What’s left is someone who doesn’t negotiate with herself. Who doesn’t need to feel ready to show up. Who knows that resilience isn’t a feeling.

It’s a decision you make before the feeling shows up.

That person cannot be taken from you. Not by a bad loss. Not by a bad year. Not by anyone.

If you’re still in the middle of your becoming — save this for the days you want to quit. Send this to someone who needs to hear it today. Comment BECOMING if you’re still on the journey.

#resilence #blackbelt #womenbjj #womenwhobuild by @denisegamonal

🎙️ IT STARTED AS A JOKE… AND SOMEHOW BECAME A PODCAST. 😂 and…

It’s on ALL major podcast platforms! 😳😃 No kidding and no judging, you don’t need perfection to start, just do it 🔥
Go download your favorite one and watch the teaser now live on Master Murilo Bustamante. Full episode this Sunday 11am both audio and video.

I’m not a professional podcaster. I never planned to become one, either.

But I have something that made me want to give this a try: a list of extraordinary people whose stories deserve to be heard.

People who have built something remarkable. People who have overcome the unimaginable. People whose experiences, wisdom, and journeys deserve to be remembered.

And I kept thinking… what if I could sit across from them, ask the questions that matter, and preserve those conversations for generations to come?

So here we are. ❤️

The Champions Code is officially happening!

And I couldn’t be more honored to begin this journey with someone so special to me, Master Murilo Bustamante. 🥋

🎬 Teaser is already available!

📅 FIRST EPISODE — SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1

🎧 WATCH OR LISTEN ON:
▶️ YouTube
🟢 Spotify
🍎 Apple Podcasts
🎵 Amazon Music
💜 Pandora

Just search The Champions Code — Denise Gamonal.

For now, one episode on the 1st of every month. Hopefully, more as life allows!

I don’t know where this little adventure will take me, but I’m excited to find out.

And now I’m curious…

If you could sit down with one extraordinary person and hear their story, who would it be? 👀

#TheChampionsCode #DeniseGamonal #MuriloBustamante #PodcastLaunch #StoriesWorthSharing by @denisegamonal

Someone grabs you from behind. What happens next?

Panic is a natural reaction. Training gives you a chance to respond with more control.

This is one of the reasons I love teaching self-defense. 💙🥋

Would you know what to do?

#SelfDefense #JiuJitsu #WomensSelfDefense #BrazilianJiuJitsu #BJJ by @denisegamonal

Some people sit in that parking lot for five minutes. Others sit there for years.

Not because they don’t want to begin, but because walking into a room where everyone seems to belong except you can be terrifying.

And the beautiful thing is that the people inside that room were once beginners, too.

I remember what it felt like. And after all these years in Jiu-Jitsu, I still think about how different my life might have been if I had let fear make that decision for me.

Maybe your parking lot isn’t outside a Jiu-Jitsu academy. Maybe it’s a dream, a new beginning, or something you’ve wanted to do for years.

Whatever it is, that feeling is more familiar than you think. ❤️🥋

Send this to someone who’s standing at the beginning of something new.

I share stories from the mats and beyond — the moments, people, and experiences that have shaped my journey.

#BrazilianJiuJitsu #JiuJitsuJourney #WomenInJiuJitsu #BJJLifestyle #FirstStep by @denisegamonal

I have been completely broke. Not once. Not twice. But THREE times.

I have lost almost everything I owned. Once, all I had left were my suitcases. Another time, I didn’t even have a suitcase to carry what little I had.

I have lived with almost nothing, experienced a life of abundance, and then watched everything disappear again.

And if there is one thing those experiences taught me, it’s that nothing in this life is permanent. Not the good times. Not the bad times. Not even the life you worked so hard to build.

Maybe you have been there too.

Maybe you have had to start over when you thought you were finally getting somewhere. Maybe you have smiled in front of people while quietly wondering how you were going to make it through another day.

Or maybe life is beautiful for you right now, and you cannot imagine ever losing what you have.

I have known both sides.

And that is why material things have never owned my heart. I appreciate beautiful things, I enjoy what life gives me, but I also know what it feels like to live without them.

The first time I lost everything, all I really had was faith and courage. I didn’t know where life would take me. I only knew I wasn’t finished.

Sometimes life gives you everything. Sometimes it takes almost everything away. But neither season lasts forever.

And perhaps the most beautiful thing about starting over is discovering that even when everything around you changes, there is still something inside you that cannot be taken away.

Your story is not over just because one chapter was painful. ❤️

If you’ve ever had to rebuild your life from nothing, you know exactly what I mean. 🙏

#overcome #rebuild #womenempowerment #jiujitsu #lifelessons by @denisegamonal

💗👮‍♀️ IT’S TODAY!!!

Honored to join the San Antonio Police Department for another Women in Policing Self-Defense Seminar!

Empowering women through confidence, knowledge, and Jiu-Jitsu. 💪🥋

#WomenInPolicing #SAPD #WomenEmpowerment #BTTTexas by @denisegamonal

Jiu-Jitsu is a beautiful reminder that strength isn’t everything. ❤️🥋

Size matters, but so do timing, leverage, balance, and technique.

And that’s what makes learning this art so fascinating.

#BrazilianJiuJitsu #BJJWomen #WomenInJiuJitsu #BJJTechnique by @denisegamonal

If your life were a book… what chapter are you in right now? 📖

I asked Master Murilo Bustamante this question during our conversation for The Champions Code — and somehow, we may have started planning his book! 😂

Imagine the stories behind a man who helped shape the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. From becoming a UFC champion to founding Brazilian Top Team, his journey is filled with victories, challenges, sacrifices, and lessons that go far beyond the mats.

But what I loved most about this conversation wasn’t just the history. It was getting to know the man behind the legacy.

And now I want to ask YOU something…

If your life were a book, what would you call the chapter you’re living right now? ❤️👇

🎙️ THE CHAMPIONS CODE
Episode 1 featuring Master Murilo Bustamante.

📅 Sunday, November 1 | 11 AM
🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more.

Some stories deserve to be told. This is one of them.

#TheChampionsCode #MuriloBustamante #BrazilianTopTeam #BJJ #Legacy by @denisegamonal

Every day, hundreds of women in law enforcement walk into situations that one moment can change forever.

They protect our communities, face unpredictable dangers, and make split-second decisions under pressure. But who is preparing them for the moments when their own safety is on the line?

On October 24th, I have the honor of joining the San Antonio Police Department for a special Women in Policing Self-Defense Seminar.

This is about more than Jiu-Jitsu. It’s about awareness, confidence, preparation, and giving these incredible women additional tools to protect themselves while protecting others.

As a woman, a mother, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, this event holds a special place in my heart. ❤️

📅 October 24, 2026
📍 San Antonio Police Academy
🥋 Women in Policing | Self-Defense Seminar

Strong Women. Safer Communities. 💗

#WomenInPolicing #SanAntonioPolice #WomenInLawEnforcement #WomensSelfDefense #BrazilianTopTeam by @denisegamonal

Starting with nothing doesn’t mean having nothing.

Sometimes all a person has is a dream, a little courage, and the hope that one day things will be different.

Nobody sees the sleepless nights, the sacrifices made in silence, the disappointments, or the moments when giving up would have been so much easier.

And the funny thing about life is that the moments that once felt impossible to survive often become the very memories that remind us how far we’ve come.

Not every dream comes true the way we imagined. Not everyone stays along the journey. And not every sacrifice gets recognized.

But there is something beautiful about looking back and realizing that, despite everything, life was being built one day at a time.

Some beginnings are humble. Some journeys are painfully difficult. And some stories are still being written. ❤️

If you could go back and tell your younger self just one thing, what would it be?

#buildingfromnothing #stillbuilding #overcome #bjjblackbelt #jiujitsulifestyle by @denisegamonal