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What if the secret to winning—on the mat, in business, and in life—wasn’t about overpowering your opponent, but about understanding them better than they understand themselves?

In this episode, BJJ World Champion and entrepreneur David Meyer shares the life-changing lesson he learned from a crushing defeat at the World Championships in Rio. Discover how the principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can help you close multimillion-dollar deals, build powerful partnerships, and even navigate tough conversations in today’s divided world.

You’ll learn:

1. The 3 rules for guiding anyone to a win-win outcome
2. How to leave your ego at the door and unlock new opportunities
3. Real stories from the world of martial arts and business
4. How to apply these lessons to product development, marketing, job interviews, and more

If you want to become a better negotiator, leader, or communicator, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiring stories.

This episode was directed and presented by Dave Meyer, produced by Robbie Lockie, with music kindly provided by Robel Borja.

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Episode Sections

00:00 - Introduction: Lessons from the Mat

00:41 - Learning Through Loss: The 1998 World Championships

02:13 - The Power of Understanding What Others Want

02:38 - The Three Rules for Winning Negotiations

04:23 - Balancing Intent and Adaptability

05:31 - Applying the Rules: From Judo to Business

09:15 - Creating Win-Win Solutions for Sponsors

12:24 - Changing Perspective to Find New Options

13:48 - Product Development: Waterfall vs. Lean Startup

14:16 - Applying the Skill to Relationships and Politics

15:49 - The Three Rules Recap & Outro

Links for Show notes:

Music “Disambiguation” by Robel Borja https://open.spotify.com/artist/7j0DUZ79z4edeLkU2H1UoJ?si=eISl0YfaQ-yLThljs48j5A

Nino Schembri vs Dave Meyer 1998 BJJ World Championship

https://youtu.be/zUysb6lDl7c?si=PU69e1E-ySJGKyqM

Gene LeBell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_LeBell

Gokor Chivichyan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gokor_Chivichyan

Adopt-a-Pet

https://www.adoptapet.com/

Cris Levy, Encore Media Partners

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristopher-levy/

https://encoremediapartners.com/

“Why It Pays to Get Inside the Head of Your Opponent,” published in the Journal “Psychological Science”

https://willmaddux.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/15846/2019/01/Psych-Science-PT-Negotiations.pdf

“Compliance Without Pressure: The Foot‑in‑the‑Door Technique,” published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1966-10825-001

Abbie Moore, head of product and ultimately the CEO of Adopt-a-Pet.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-moore/

Lean Startup

https://theleanstartup.com/