Ottavia Bourdain has just received some great news. Her coach, the infamous John Danaher made the decision to promote her to brown belt level!
The promotion comes as fruit of 5 years of labor. She is quoted writing in the Lenny newsletter that her bjj journey started close to a decade ago:
“I began kickboxing on the Upper East Side shortly after the birth of my daughter nine years ago. The gyms and locker rooms there smelled of fresh blowouts and nail polish. Like me, most of the other women were there to “get their body back” after pregnancy or to learn self-defense. But even after I had “gotten my body back” and finished the self-defense classes, I found myself wanting more. I was hooked. When I decide I like something, I go in all the way. And what I really liked was hitting my instructors. So when they told me I should train in jujitsu.”
On how jiu-jitsu has changed her life:
“My body has changed, dramatically. I have changed. My husband half-jokes that he married Sophia Loren but ended up with Jean-Claude Van Damme. But there’s something to that. I’m not the same person. I’m hard now, physically and mentally. The confidence I gained is something I’m proud to share with my daughter, who, like me, has been training jujitsu for some time.”
She’s expressed her joy and gratitude as well. It’s known her main training partner through the bjj journey is Danaher Death Squad notable member: Eddie Wolverine Cummings.
A photo posted by ottaviabourdain (@ottaviabourdain) on
Ottavia Bourdain Shares Her Jiu-Jitsu Obsession Amidst Separation Statement
