Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kim Rice. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kim, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

Our student Mike Ames is down 40 pounds and 6 inches but has gained 2 stripes! He’s his story:

“In December 2022, I came to a stark realization. At my heaviest, chronically fatigued, and having just spent Christmas in the hospital with my mom—who was battling congestive heart failure—I knew something had to give. I was on a path like hers, and I was determined to make 2023 a year of change. The year began with weightlifting alongside my two sons, aged 22 and 19. There is nothing like ego lifting 20-year-olds to make you feel old and extremely sore, but it was worth it for the quality time spent with them, even though they seemed to mostly enjoy watching me suffer. I also started a 16/8 intermittent fasting regimen, which was way harder to stick to than I anticipated, though using an app helped.

While weightlifting and fasting laid the groundwork, it was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) that tied everything together. Like many, I had always been curious about BJJ and always found an excuse not to start. This year I said screw-it lets find a place. No sooner than I had that thought I ran across Bull City BJJ’s 4-week introduction to BJJ class. Kim and Jason, the owners, handed me a new Gi and a white belt. Over the next 4 weeks I made myself (sometimes dragged myself) to class.

Interestingly, it wasn’t until I added BJJ to the mix that the pounds started to come off. At the point that I got my first stripe, I was down about 14 pounds but that only told part of the story – not only was I stronger but had so much more energy than I’d had in years. BJJ is as tough as you make it, and it will require you to check your ego – there is nothing quite like being strangled by a woman half your age and 150 pounds lighter than you.

Now, my goal is overall fitness. I do my darndest to attend BJJ three times a week, lift weights twice a week, and stick to intermittent fasting. BJJ is the easiest part of my routine – I can skip a lift or two and have a cheat day, but I find it hard to justify skipping BJJ.

To date, with two stripes on my white belt, I’ve lost just over 40 pounds and shrunk my waist by at least 6 inches. I’m filled with more energy than I’ve had in a long while. I am deeply grateful to Kim and Jason for not only their encouragement but also for introducing me to BJJ and for the community they’ve built at Bull City BJJ.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an amazing workout and it will get you in shape in the most fun way possible. It is also the fastest growing martial art in the word! We offer classes for adults, kids, and families as well as private lessons.

I am the black belt head instructor of Bull City BJJ and I have been training jiu-jitsu since 2010. I am an experienced competitor with several major titles including:

-2x adult world champion

-9x masters world champion

-Abu Dhabi silver medalist.

I love competing but I believe that jiu-jitsu is first and foremost a self defense system. I am committed to sharing my knowledge with others who need it, especially to other women. When I am not training or teaching, I work as a pediatric speech language pathologist.

Brazilian jiu jitsu is still a male-dominated sport. Our school is woman owned with a female head instructor, which is not common. We really want to make jiu jitsu accessible to everyone, not just young, athletic men.

Grandmaster Helio Gracie believed that “Jiu Jitsu is for the protection of the individual: the older man, the weak, the child, the lady, and the young woman; anyone who doesn’t have the physical attributes to defend themselves.”

We believe that too. Our motto is “We believe in a diverse, welcoming, safe space for everyone. All bodies are welcome here.”

We just love watching our students meet their goals – whether it is weight loss, tournament victories, or earning new ranks. We have several students that have lost an incredible amount of weight leading to improvements in their health markers. There is also nothing like coaching students to their first tournament victories or watching kids find their confidence.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Our biggest source of new clients has become referrals from existing students. Jiu jitsu is even more fun with friends and our students often invite new people into the gym.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It is still a work in progress for sure. We try to regularly post photos and reels and we are gradually building our followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bullcitybjj.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bull_city_bjj?igshid=Mmgwb3FxdmlvYWcw&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074444941250&mibextid=LQQJ4d