Building a life you don't want to escape from. A conversation with Guilherme
Guilherme Trestini is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, coach, and all-round legend living on the Gold Coast. Known for his calm mindset, sharp technique, and love for recovery routines, Gui doesn't just teach Jiu-Jitsu—he lives it. When he’s not rolling on the mats, he’s sharing real, thoughtful insights about training, life, and purpose with his growing community online. This is a guy who left everything behind to build a better life through movement, discipline, and the art of problem solving. Here's what Guilherme had to say about Jiu-Jitsu, recovery, and what a fulfilling life really looks like.
What does Jiu-Jitsu teach you beyond the physical?
Jiu-Jitsu is more than just physical. It's mental. It's a constant game of problem-solving. Every roll is about facing challenges, finding solutions, and staying calm under pressure. That mirrors life perfectly. Life throws problems at you every day, and the ones who can solve them are the ones who keep moving forward. Jiu-Jitsu taught me that being on the bottom doesn’t mean you’re losing—sometimes it’s just part of the process. Same with life. Challenges aren’t here to break you. They’re here to shape you.
When you teach, what's the mindset you want students to take away?
I want my students to understand the concept behind every technique. Not just the steps. Anyone can copy 1, 2, 3. But if you understand why you're doing it, you can apply it in any situation—on the mats or in life. It’s about purpose. It’s about making smart decisions, not just memorising movements.
What’s your biggest recovery hack?
Sleep and clean food. That’s it. I can take supplements, go to the sauna, hit the ice bath—but nothing beats a solid 7 to 9 hours of sleep and fuelling my body with real food. Eggs, steak, broccoli. Partying or skipping meals kills my recovery. Sleep and eat right—it’s that simple.
Hardest challenge you've taken on?
Leaving Brazil. I came with no money, no visa, nothing—just a belief that I could build something through Jiu-Jitsu. Setting up my own academy, teaching in London, fighting legends like Bruno Bastos. Those were all tough. But the hardest thing? Losing my mum when I was 16. That flipped my world. But again, Jiu-Jitsu helped me deal with that. Gave me structure, gave me purpose.
What does living a fulfilling life actually look like for you?
People ask me, would you change anything? Sure, we all want more money, a nicer house, whatever. But honestly? I'm living my dream. I wake up, train, teach, go to the beach, surround myself with good people. I used to pay to teach Jiu-Jitsu—now I get paid to do what I love. That’s fulfillment. It’s not about escaping your life, it’s about building one you don’t want to run away from.
Guilherme is proof that high performance doesn’t always mean loud or flashy. Sometimes it’s quiet. Consistent. Rooted in purpose. Follow his journey on Instagram @guitrestini for more insights on movement, recovery, and building a life that matters.
Cool humans doing cool sh*t