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Brenda Dee

@iambrendadee

3.1K

followers

1910

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⚖ tech lawyer. 🥋jiu-jitsu
📍SF / Silicon Valley (like the show) // 📍San Diego
@legion_ajj

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Worlds 2022 Black Belt ✔
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I have so many thoughts coming out of Worlds. This week was absolutely amazing. I had the privilege of sharing the mats with so many incredible people who came through @breajiujitsuofficial - special shoutout to Coach Dan and his sauna of a gym that put me at 104 lb with the gi on at weigh-ins yesterday 😓 (yes, 3 lbs under weight). But the greatest feeling was being able to walk onto these mats as a rookie black belt 🥋 and sharing the same space as so many athletes who I have come up the ranks admiring. It is a surreal feeling of gratitude and respect. They have inspired me to do better. To be better.
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This year's worlds marks the end to this chapter for now. For nearly two years, I did what I never thought possible while being a working professional - I lived this jiu jitsu life. Split time in San Diego, lived in a fighter house, bought my own fighter house. Slept on mats. Cleaned mats. Traveled. Trained. Competed. Coached. I really feel like I did it all. I am so grateful to @legion_ajj for welcoming me and especially to my Coach @andrisbrunovskis for guiding, teaching, and inspiring me. Today, as I packed up my car to head back to San Francisco permanently to focus on my career and family, I think fondly of the amazing people I have met these last 2 years. Thank you for being a part of my story. 💕
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Special shoutout to my partner @echan424 for flying down last night to help me pack and drive home. 🙃
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First photo credit @grapple.culture
#jiujitsuathlete #jiujitsuwomen #jiujitsu #ibjjfworlds #legionajj #lawyerlife #blackbelt #iambrendadee taken in Walter Pyramid LBSU by @iambrendadee

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4 years ago

5Apr2022 // Took the day off on Tuesday and did a thing. 🤵👰
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Surrounded by the love and support of our friends and families - both near and from a distance - our hearts are full. 💞
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So grateful for our dream team:
Photographer @shawnarodgersphoto
HMU @urbanbeautyloft
Dress @bhldn
Suit @paulsmithdesign
Rings @tiffanyandco
And (the better than a MOH) friend @baxa17
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#newlyweds #weeloped #sfcityhallwedding #sanfrancisco #thechans #cityhall by @iambrendadee

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5 years ago

Black belt 🥋 // Tonight was surreal. I was promoted to black belt under @keenancornelius and @andrisbrunovskis . To be honest, I have had my share of ups and downs and internal struggles throughout my jiu-jitsu journey, and being promoted tonight means so much to me. Coming to @legion_ajj over a year and a half ago, I have learned to truly love this sport again and more importantly, to find peace and happiness being a student of the game. I will always be grateful for the people I have had the pleasure to learn from and the amazing people I have met around the world. Thank you to my coaches and teammates for all your support and faith in me, my wonderful fellow jiu-jitsu nerds everywhere, and coach Dan Lukehart @breajiujitsuofficial for all your advice these past few years. I will wear this belt proudly as I represent Legion as its Black belt female rooster. 💗
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#blackbelt #jiujitsuathlete #jiujitsu #jiujitsulifestyle #sandiegojiujitsu #femaleblackbelt #legionajj #bjjasia #asianamerican #bjjasianwomen #jiujitsuwomen #roosterweight #iambrendadee by @iambrendadee

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5 years ago

🥈 M3 Rooster 🥋 I lost my only match // While this may have been a loss, this wasn’t a failure. 💕 I am, however, disappointed tbh.
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It was a challenge in so many ways leading up to my return to competition. This brutal weight cut of 35 pounds (~140 in May to 102lb today) since giving birth to Mimi 5 and a half months ago and back to back pregnancies over the last 4 years. I’m sad, but also proud at the same time. 🥲
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This tournament has been on my mind for the last 4 years. But I am back, and I’m going to get better. I’m so grateful for everyone at @roots.unioncity who helped me grow over these last few years and really prepped me over the last few months, @vitorpaschoalcta my amazing coach who ran an amazing camp for all of us, @camelobgjj for getting me ready, @andrisbrunovskis @corvusgrappling, and Dan @breajiujitsuofficial for being there to coach me. Your support means the world to me. And last, but not least - my amazing and ever supportive husband @echan424 for the long nights and extra days handling our kids so I can get in extra training and chase my dreams both in jiujitsu and my career. I love you, and you are the backbone of our family. 💕💕💕 Just wait - This is only the beginning for me. 🫶
#ibjjf #masterworlds #blackbelt #roosterweight taken in Las Vegas Convention Center by @iambrendadee

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a month ago

Yoasobi // Never Ending Stories Tour
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Posting a bunch of videos because it was so fun 🤩 and we rarely get the chance for a date night! Big ups to @echan424 for letting me drag him to a jpop concert. 😂💕🇯🇵 taken in Oakland Arena by @iambrendadee

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2 months ago

📍Chicago // Had an impromptu 14 hours overnight in Chicago due to some flight complications during my work trip. I have such bittersweet memories of my time in Chicago, but every time I’m back here - I’m reminded of what a beautiful place it is. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to spend some valuable time here, but I desperately need to get back to my family and the West Coast- friendly work hours for this EOQ madness. #iykyk 🏢👩‍💼⚖️ Working across several time zones - I’m ready to be home.
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Side note - it looks like my 3,190 ml of frozen breast milk (over 100oz) will make it safely back home thanks to the accommodating hotels and workplaces as well as this trusty Yeti cooler. What an adventure this has been. 🍼✈️ taken in Chicago, Illinois by @iambrendadee

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3 months ago

✌️under ✌️ // Good luck @echan424 as you manage to hold down the fort during my first work trip/ EOQ after returning from maternity leave… by @iambrendadee

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3 months ago

Happy 100 days of Miriam + Baptism 💕 Our sweet, sweet girl. I have few words - just physically and mentally exhausted from the weekend, but I would do it all again just to celebrate you! May you always remember that you are loved and cherished. ~ Daddy, Mommy, & Edison by @iambrendadee

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4 months ago

Worlds 2026 🥋
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Always a great time coming out to Worlds. I was able to train with the best of the best while watching these incredible competitors with Erik and the kids alongside me.
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I’m wrapping up the last few weeks of my maternity leave and feeling more inspired than ever. Career, family, jiu jitsu - no one said it would be easy, but one thing is for sure - happy parents make for a happy family. I want Edison and Mimi to grow up seeing their parents prioritize their health and well-being as well as their passions. For me, it’s jiu jitsu - even if it looks a bit different than it did 4 years ago. 💕
#jiujitsu #ibjjfworlds #bjjwomen #bjjmom #ibjjf taken in Walter Pyramid LBSU by @iambrendadee

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5 months ago

Jiu-jitsu mom life I guess. #iykyk #breastfeedingjourney by @iambrendadee

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5 months ago

This brother + sister duo 💕
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Edison is the older brother I always wish I had. 🥹 They may not always realize it, but they are so lucky to have each other. 💜 by @iambrendadee

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6 months ago

1st Day Back after Baby✌️🤰// This black belt 🥋 is now officially and *hopefully*🤞out of jiu jitsu retirement for the foreseeable future!! Today was my first day back to training and full sparring 6 weeks postpartum.
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My path to motherhood has been roughly 7 years long from my egg freeze in 2019 to my miscarriage in 2022, embryo transfer and birth of Edison in 2023/24, and Mimi’s embryo transfer and birth in 2025/26. At 43 years old, I’m glad that I can now embrace this postpartum period as my last and transition to who I will be as a mother of two while enjoying the things that spark joy - such as jiu jitsu. 🍼🥋
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Being away from competition and consistent training over the last 4 years has been extremely tough, and I questioned my identity during that time as something that I loved for so long barely existed. Long gone were the 2-3 training sessions per day - 6 days a week. Traveling to train and compete all over the world? - nada. 🚫 When I was able to train, I had to be more efficient and cerebral, particularly when I was recovering from various medical procedures or when I was just too big and uncomfortable during the pregnancy to train. But in a lot of ways, these hindrances may have been the best thing for me. I now see jiu jitsu differently. I train for a different purpose. And I value the time I have on the mats even more now because time and energy is so hard to find.
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I’m looking forward to what will come over these next few weeks and months. How will my body manage the C-section recovery? What will I learn? How will I adjust my jiu jitsu to my new body? Every pregnancy and recovery is different, but I’m ready for this challenge. 💕🫶
#postpartum #postpartumfitnessjourney #jiujitsu #bjj #bjjwomen
@roots.unioncity taken in Roots Kickboxing BJJ by @iambrendadee

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6 months ago