Episode 69: Alvin Medina: From Watsonville To The Mat; Coaching, Anxiety, and Finding Belonging

A cold Santa Cruz morning sets the stage for a warm, unguarded conversation with Alvin Medina—a Watsonville native, former college defensive lineman, college coach, and jiu-jitsu devote. We talk about what happens when the adrenaline fades, and the anxiety shows up. He takes us from scout-team hits and weight-room grit to recruiting rooms where NFL vets drop by to recruit your JUCO talent, showing how relationships—not just X’s and O’s—win the long game. The story pivots when a panic attack on Park Avenue forces him to examine anxiety, therapy, and why beating yourself up is not the same as holding a high standard.

We immediately dive into the cultural contrasts of Chicago bluntness and North Carolina warmth, the identity boost of a high school team finding cohesion against bigger, stronger rivals, and the moment coaching culture started to treat people as parts. Alvin explains how he rebuilt his approach: welcome first, demand second.

How it translates now, outside of football, to Jiu Jitsu. Teaching kids to bow on the mat, but make the new kid feel like family. Coach hard because you care, not to punish. Michael sits back and lets Alvin go, as he threads men’s mental health through it all—naming shame, embracing therapy, and using acceptance as an action: putting an “and” where there used to be a “but.”

The conversation lands in the present with a clear view forward. Marriage became a true team, teaching give-and-take and the courage to let go. Jiu-jitsu and striking reignited a competitive fire anchored in purpose: pursue excellence without self-torture, compete with joy, and love people with your actions. If you’re interested in coaching philosophy, men’s mental health, and the multi layered football juggernaught, to jiu-jitsu culture, or how to turn pressure into presence, this one hits home and the heart.

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