“I hold down the fort here.”
Meet Lindsay Thompson-Machado. The definition of a true girl boss. Training jiu jitsu since 1993. CEO of one of the biggest jiu jitsu associations in the South-West. Girls in Gis host. Mother of four. We had the pleasure of meeting Lindsay and interviewing her! Read below as we talk about being a pioneer in jiu jitsu, working as a succesful business woman, being the wife of a famous jiu jitsu person and the female jiu jitsu scene in the South-West.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started jiu jitsu?
I’m from Simpsonville, South-Carolina, and I live currently in Dallas, Texas. I’m 36 years old and I have 4 kids. They are 11, 12, 13 and 14. I was raised in the martial arts, starting with kempo karate at 3 years old and eventually getting in to BJJ at 11. I also did Japanese Jiu-Jitsu at 14 and kickboxing at 12. My family runs a very successful school in Simpsonville since 1983, called Upstate Karate. So training in our household was mandatory.
Did you enjoy training in martial arts?
At first my dad made us train… We had no choice. Growing up in karate, it did take an adjustment period for me to get used to the grappling. But when I hit 14-15, I really began to enjoy the training and challenge of being the smaller opponent on the mat and dug deep into my learning.
“Training in our household was mandatory.”
Lindsay started her jiu jitsu journey together with Romero Jacare Cavalcanti, black belt under legendary Rolls Gracie. Back then she had to travel to Atlanta, Georgia every week to train and she became his first female blue belt in America back in 1997. Lindsay says she hasn’t been training for quite some time, due to business and homeschooling her children, but she trained jiu jitsu for 8 years. She also gained experience with competing not only in jiu jitsu but also karate and kickboxing.
Lindsay receiving her blue belt from Romero Jacare Cavalcanti.
You have a very interesting job: CEO of your husband’s academy and affiliates. That sounds like hard work! Could you tell us a bit more about that? What is it that you do exactly, day to day?
Well I am mom first… So I homeschool my 4 kiddos everyday! I also am co-owner of RCJ Machado Jiu-Jitsu-Farmers Branch location, so I am there day in and day out running that alongside my husband Carlos Machado. I also founded Mach Apparel which is the apparel company for all of RCJ Machado Jiu-Jitsu Worldwide and I manage our Association of academies worldwide that are a part of our network. Making sure logins are working, certificates and merchandise orders are being processed and scheduling events for the organization and making sure the Machado Brothers are getting their uploads and things done for the Association Website which hosts the curriculum for all our affiliates.
“I work 7 days a week, from sunrise to sunset.”
The students of RCJ Machado Farmers Branch.
Lindsay met Carlos Machado when she was 17 years old and they’ve now been together for almost 20 years. Lindsay was raised in the martial art academy business even before she married Carlos. Today, they have a total of 425 members in the home base RCJ Machado Farmers Branch. The other affiliates are individually owned and run their own thing but keep in contact with Lindsay when needed. When I ask her about her work schedule she laughs and says she works from sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week.
Lindsay’s office at RCJ Machado Farmers Branch.
Lindsay and Carlos.
What is it like to have your husband as your professor as well?
He was my instructor until we started our family. I had 4 kids in 4.5 years and then was raising babies for 5 years after that so I had to take a solid 10 years off to dedicate 100% of my time to our children. With no family in Dallas to help, it consumed my schedule and my training completely halted. Being a mom though is my most prized accomplishment though so for me there was no second guessing my decision.
Women are often seen as behind-the-scene contributing to their husband’s success. I asked her about this specific and she says straight out that in their case, it is no joke about how much she contributes. She describes herself as a person working with a lot of eye for detail, whereas Carlos can be all over the place with a ADD kind of spirit. She describes his brain wired for jiu jitsu, and she creates structure and organizes, so he can move from point A to point B quicker. Lindsay would say she is the brains behind everything they do for RCJ and makes sure things get done. Carlos can then focus on what he does the best, which is teaching. Everything else around is already taking care of.
“Behind every strong man stands a stronger woman“. Do you think that saying is applicable to your situation?
For me and Carlos, I don’t think so. What I am awesome at, he sucks and where he is awesome, I suck. So together we really do make a great team that complement each other.
“Being a mom is my most prized accomplishment. For me, there was no second guessing that decision.”
The Machado family.
What impact has jiu jitsu made in your life, as a woman, wife, mother?
Jiu-jitsu showed me that no matter what, there is always something new to learn. There is no end to the well of knowledge out there. There are endless possibilities. As a woman when I began training there were no women. I was usually the only female on the mat, constantly trying to prove myself to the crowd that I was one to be watched. It was a tough road, I have to say.
As a wife I pride myself in supporting my husband’s passion and really doing my part to spread the word of BJJ. He is gone every month travelling and teaching. I hold down the fort here, so that he can fulfill his purpose which is to reach as many people as he can to teach them BJJ! So when he is gone, I roll up my sleeves and make sure things continue to not only run but grow. As a mother, I make sure my kids are in class every week. Carlos and I agreed that training for our kids is mandatory until they turn 16. When they turn 16 they can decide if they want to stay with their training or move on to other things. This was a rule in my household growing up and I can tell you by the time I was 16 I was in love with the martial arts and had no intention of quitting. So we are hoping our kids have the same revelation.
“I roll up my sleeves and make sure things continue to not only run but grow.”
Lindsay explains that her passion for jiu jitsu comes from 17 years of amazing transformations she has seen in people, because they trained jiu jitsu. And even though it might sound cheesy she says when I ask her whether she has other hobbies – maybe reading? – that she really loves the work in the academy. Contributing to what makes people healthy and happy is amazing, she says.
What are your future goals do you have for your own career and also for the business?
Really to just become the best business owner/Girl Boss that I can be! I have managed to train up a amazing team of women that I work with every day, who all have the same goal of growing the academy and network! So that has become a passion of mine. Giving more ladies the opportunity to work in the gyms they train and make a living out of running academies. I have also recently launched out WHAM! Women’s Self Defense Program which has been received with rave reviews! I am in the process of getting our Non-Profit established to help raise money to help raise awareness for domestic violence. Anyways, it’s a work in progress, but it is my latest baby so to speak!
According to Lindsay, the women’s jiu jitsu scene in Texas is massive. The Girls in Gis event she hosts never have had less than 100 ladies showing up. And that is not even a drop in the bucket of the talent and ladies that train in this great state Lindsay says. At their own academy alone they have over 30 ladies enrolled. She sees a huge improvement over the past 3 years, she is very excited and happy about the fact that her daughter has so many role models and ladies to train with. While she was alone training back in the 90’s she is very thankful for her daughter gaining this kind of support and experience.
“The women’s jiu jitsu scene in Texas is MASSIVE.”
The women at Carlos Machado.
Why do you make such a big effort to enhance the women’s jiu jitsu scene in your area?
Because it’s a beautiful thing when women can come together and learn from one another! Together we do amazing things for the sport and knowing you have those sisters on the mat that you trust and love translates to amazing friendships off the mat that last a lifetime!
HUGE THANK TO LADIES ONLY BJJ FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO TELL A SMALL PIECE OF MY STORY
TO SEE THE ARTICLE VISIT https://ladiesonlybjj.com/the-woman-behind-the-scenes-interview-with-lindsay-thompson-machado/
