The Ageless Warrior Lab
Dave Meyer | Host, Ageless Warrior Lab podcast | President & Co-founder of Food System Innovations and Humane American Animal Foundation
Join BJJ coral belt, Gang of Eight and Dirty Dozen member Dave Meyer as we draw wisdom from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the martial arts and explore how it applies to your life, success in business, and your long-term health.
Dave Meyer is a pioneering American Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) practitioner, and accomplished non-profit founder and Philanthropist. He is an eleven-time world champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is the current world champion in his age/weight division in the no-gi format.
Dave co-founded and served as CEO of Adopt-a-Pet.com for two decades, turning it into the world's largest nonprofit homeless pet adoption website and helping save millions of animals, before its acquisition by Mars Inc.
Today, Dave leads Humane America Animal Foundation and Food System Innovations, working on farm animal welfare and a healthy and sustainable food system. He frequently advises U.S. lawmakers on these issues, and has raised and deployed over $160 million in philanthropic capital as part of his work in the nonprofit space.
In his athletic career, Dave has risen to the highest ranks of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He earned his black belt from Rigan Machado in 1996 and ranked among the first Americans ("the Dirty Dozen") to do so. He was the first American to medal at the black belt level at the BJJ World Championships in Brazil in 1998. Dave is one of just several Americans to achieve the rank of coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a group now referred to as the “Gang of Eight”. He continues to compete at the world championship level, winning world championship titles in his age division.
As a martial artist and instructor, he taught at UCLA, Steven Seagal's Tenshin Dojo, and developed a globally used grappling curriculum with John Will, including customized material for Chuck Norris's UFAF association. He has written several books on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, including "Training for Competition: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling".
Meyer also played a critical role in post-Katrina animal rescue, co-authored books pet care, and co-founded a Haiti orphanage for children with HIV, exemplifying a lifetime of impactful leadership in both martial arts and philanthropy.
Dave resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, and continues to coach BJJ athletes and compete at the world championship level. He is the President & Co-Founder of Humane America Animal Foundation and Food System Innovations, of which the Ageless Warrior Lab is a project.
The Ageless Warrior Lab
Latest Episodes
Randy Couture: From Army to UFC Champion to Hollywood Star | EP 53
Description:In this interview, UFC legend Randy "The Natural" Couture sits down to unpack a career defined by improbable timing. A former U.S. Army sergeant and three-time NCAA All-American wrestler. He fought his first MMA fight ...
Eddie Bravo: Developing 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu & Where His Creative Style Comes From | EP 52
In this interview, 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo sits down with longtime training partner and friend David Meyer to share the story behind one of the biggest upsets in grappling history — his legendary submission win over Royler Gra...
Felicia Oh: Started BJJ at 33, Became a Black Belt Under TWO Legends | EP 51
In this interview, BJJ black belt Felicia Oh sits down to share her remarkable journey from starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 33 to becoming a black belt under both Jean Jacques Machado and Eddie Bravo, a rare distinction only a handful of gr...
Ryron Gracie - The Philosophy Behind Gracie Jiu-Jitsu | EP 50
In this conversation with Ryron Gracie — grandson of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie and son of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie, Ryron breaks down the true philosophy of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, exploring the critical differences between sport BJJ, self-defense...
The Longevity Blueprint - Part 2: Diet, Ego & the Truth About Longevity in BJJ | EP 49
In this episode, Dave shares the second half of his two-part series on longevity in sports, focusing on his final two "secret laws." He calls out the importance of diet that sees beyond simple terms like "processed" and "natural" , and of...
