Performance coach and author
Fulfill your potential, on the mat and off it.
Chris Matakas coaches small business owners and community leaders toward success in every part of life: health, relationships, work and the passions that make it worth living.
A second-degree Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ricardo Almeida and the founder of Matakas Jiu Jitsu.
“The quality of our lives is the quality of the worst part of our lives.”
If we are succeeding in one area of life but failing in another, we do not feel successful. The work is holistic success, in health, relationships, our profession and our passions, so that we get the most from the one shot we are given.
Coaching
A 12-week, one-on-one program: a personal roadmap, weekly calls and a coach in your corner between them.
How the program works
Books
Fifteen books on using Jiu Jitsu as a vehicle for personal development, including one about life off the mat.
Find your first book
Writing
216 essays on Jiu Jitsu, philosophy and growth, collected in one place and free to read.
Read the essays
Speaking
Keynotes and workshops for companies, academies and communities on doing difficult things, on purpose.
Book Chris to speakPerformance Coaching
A clear process and a coach in your corner
Get your roadmap
The Big Four assessment shows where you are and where you want to be, then becomes your personal transformation roadmap.
Run the process
Line up your vision, your tools and your daily actions, and work the plan every week.
Get support
Weekly coaching calls, plus a private channel to Chris between them.
Reach the goal
Measure where you are against the roadmap you set in week one, and decide together what comes next.
Kind words
What clients say
“My coaching with Chris helped me navigate through what could have been the most difficult season of my life. Instead I see it as one of the most rewarding. Because of Chris, I now have so much clarity of purpose and a better understanding of my own internal drive.”
“Chris was my saving ferryman who guided me across a sea of desperation to a beautiful path towards the light. Because of Chris I went from being completely lost to being highly confident that I could handle the difficult problem in front of me.”
Client names are changed for privacy.
Writing
Start with these essays
216 essays since 2013 on Jiu Jitsu, the Stoics, Aristotle, Thoreau and the work of becoming who you are capable of being.
Books
Where to start
New to Jiu Jitsu, chasing more from it, or looking for something off the mat: one of these four is the right first read.
5 Rules for White Belts
On Jiu Jitsu
Jiu Jitsu and the Ego
ImprovePerformance Coaching
Want Chris as your coach?
It starts with a short application. If it looks like a fit, Chris's team invites you to a discovery call, and from there you work one-on-one with Chris toward the goal that matters most.