One Year on the Mats: Celebrating Growth Mindset Collective’s First Year in Oakley

From the Garage to Our Own Academy

Before there was a sign on the building, a full schedule of classes, or a team filling the mats, there was a garage.

Growth Mindset Collective started small, with Jiu-Jitsu classes being taught out of our home. We had a vision for the kind of academy we wanted to create: a place where kids and adults could learn legitimate Jiu-Jitsu, challenge themselves, and be surrounded by people who wanted to see them grow.

Those early days weren’t glamorous, but they were special.

Some of the families who train with us today were there in the garage. They believed in what we were building before we had a real academy to call home.

Then, in July 2025, we opened the doors to our location in Oakley.

Seeing our name on the building and our mats laid out for the first time was exciting—but what has happened on those mats over the last year is what has made this place Growth Mindset Collective.

A Year of Growth

Our first year has been busy.  Really busy.

We’ve watched students walk through the doors nervous for their very first Jiu-Jitsu class and eventually become the person welcoming the next beginner onto the mat.  We’ve watched kids develop skills, compete in tournaments, win matches, lose matches, and learn that both experiences have something to teach them.  We’ve watched adults discover—or rediscover—what it feels like to challenge themselves physically and mentally.

Our team has stepped onto competition mats together. We’ve hosted special events and seminars. We’ve added new opportunities to train and continued developing our programs as our community has grown.  There have been promotions, first stripes, first competitions, hard rounds, big wins, tough losses, and countless small moments that probably won't ever make it onto social media.  Those small moments are often the ones we're most proud of.

More Than the Number of Students on the Mat

Growth is easy to measure in numbers.  More students. More classes. More programs.  But that isn't the kind of growth that matters most to us.

We see it when a student finally understands a technique they've struggled with for weeks.  We see it when a kid who was nervous to participate starts raising their hand.  We see it when teammates stay after class to help each other.  We see it when someone loses a match, comes back to the academy, and gets right back to work.  And we see it when someone new walks through our doors and the team makes them feel like they belong.

That's the Growth Mindset in Growth Mindset Collective.

From Our First Families to Our Newest

One of the most meaningful parts of celebrating our first anniversary is looking around the academy and realizing how many different points in our story are represented on the same mats.  Some of you have been with us since we were training in the garage.  Some of you took a chance on us when we opened our Oakley academy.  Some joined somewhere along the way. And some of you have only been here for a few weeks.

It doesn't matter when you arrived.

You're part of the team.

Every person who has trained with us, supported an event, competed under the GMC name, recommended us to a friend, brought their kids to class, helped another student, or simply continued showing up has played a part in making this academy what it is.

Celebrating One Year Together

This month, we had the chance to celebrate our first anniversary the best way we know how—with our team.

Seeing everyone together was a reminder of just how far we've come from those first classes in the garage.

One year isn't a very long time.

We're still learning. We're still building. And there is a lot we want Growth Mindset Collective to become.

But we're incredibly proud of what this community has built in its first year.

This Is Just the Beginning

When we started Growth Mindset Collective, we wanted to create more than a place where people could learn Jiu-Jitsu.  We wanted to build a community centered around learning, perseverance, and the idea that none of us are finished products.  There will always be another technique to learn.  Another challenge to work through.  Another opportunity to get a little better than we were yesterday.

That's true in Jiu-Jitsu, and it's true everywhere else.

To everyone who has been part of our first year: thank you.

Thank you for trusting us with your kids. Thank you for trusting us with your own training. Thank you for supporting a small, family-run academy. And thank you for helping turn an idea that started in a garage into the community we get to walk into every day.

Here's to year two.

We'll see you on the mats.

— Mark & Sabrina
Growth Mindset Collective
Oakley, California