Speaking

Do difficult things, on purpose.

Years on the mat taught Chris that chosen struggle makes people stronger for the struggle they do not choose. He brings that to companies, academies and communities: keynotes, workshops and podcasts on resistance, performance psychology and a life that succeeds in every area.

Book Chris to speak Watch a 7-minute talk

The talk: why some people improve faster than others. More on his YouTube channel.

Chris Matakas speaking in front of a slide of the Transformation Triangle

Signature talks

Keynotes and workshops

Stop Resisting Resistance

How increasing your voluntary struggle can decrease your involuntary suffering.

Suffering comes for everyone. The good news: we can reduce the suffering we do not choose by volunteering for struggle we do. Like any muscle, the more we pursue the difficult instead of resisting it, the stronger we become for whatever life brings.

Audiences will learn

How to see problems as opportunities, and why it matters
How suffering and struggle differ, and which parts we control
Why resistance is a gift, and what it teaches those willing to learn

The Hero in Us All

How embracing the hero archetype can unlock achievement and fulfillment.

From ancient myth to Star Wars, the hero who voluntarily confronts the difficult on behalf of the people they serve is the oldest story we have. Chris argues it is also the best framework for living a life of achievement and meaning.

Audiences will learn

How to retire the victim mindset and turn your story into a hero's journey
The basic arc of the journey and where you stand in it today
How one person's journey moves the whole network of people around them

On Behalf of Wholeness

How to find the experience of wholeness that fits the life you want.

Influenced by Carl Jung, Chris believes we are all in pursuit of wholeness. Health, finances, relationships, passions and profession each ask for mastery, and letting any one fall behind causes suffering.

Audiences will learn

What wholeness looks like, and why we crave it
Which areas of your life are asking for more from you right now
How mastering one thing builds the foundation to master anything

Doing Difficult Things

The opportunity in meeting resistance on the path.

Multi-Dimensional Success

Avoiding the trap of a life that is winning in one place and losing in the rest.

Personal Development and Jiu Jitsu

Using the mat as a vehicle for growth.

Performance Psychology

The mental frameworks behind peak performance.

Reaching Your Potential

Winning in life and business through inner alignment and massive action.

Kind words

From the room

Chris has spoken at ASSA ABLOY and to Jiu Jitsu academies and their communities.

“Chris is the Tony Robbins of Jiu Jitsu.”

Eddie AlvarezFormer UFC lightweight champion

“Before Chris, turnover was crazy high. Profits were great, but team members were getting burned out. He helped our team integrate health, wealth and happiness, and turnover is down and profit is up.”

Trevor CassilianoASSA ABLOY; also Chris’s business partner at Matakas Jiu Jitsu

In the media

Articles and podcasts

Tech Billionaires on the Mat: what Jiu Jitsu reveals about Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Silicon ValleyYahoo Finance
Book review: On Jiu JitsuBJJEE
Jiu Jitsu and the Ego, episode 51Business Jiu Jitsu podcast
Infinite Pursuits and How to Respond to Resistance, episode 47Business Jiu Jitsu podcast
Cultivating Intentional HardshipLeader Farming
Episode 57: Chris MatakasJohn Picciuto
Follow Your Fears, episode 68Podcast on Spotify
The Splendid Torch, with Pete McHughYouTube

Speaker kit

Everything an organizer needs

Bios to copy, photos to download and one address for every request.

Short bio

Chris Matakas is a performance coach, the author of fifteen books on personal development and a second-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ricardo Almeida. He founded Matakas Jiu Jitsu in 2017 and coaches small business owners and community leaders to holistic success.

Full bio

Chris Matakas is a second-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ricardo Almeida. He founded the Matakas Jiu Jitsu Academy in 2017 and has published fifteen books about using Jiu Jitsu as a vehicle for personal development, several of them Amazon best sellers in their category.

When readers began reaching out for guidance during the pandemic in 2020, Chris founded Matakas Coaching to help high achievers fulfill their potential off the mat as well. Today he is a performance coach to small business owners and community leaders.

He believes that the more we grow, the more we have to give, and that it is our responsibility to fulfill our potential so that we can contribute to those we serve.

He lives a quiet life with his family in the forest, writing and coaching from his home office, with plenty of time for hiking with his family and dogs.