Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Louisville

Today marks an incredible milestone—10 years of our Women Empowered® program here in Louisville!

Over the past decade, we’ve had the privilege of watching this program change lives by giving women practical self-defense skills, greater confidence, and the mindset to recognize, avoid, and overcome danger. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to share these life-changing techniques and strategies with our Louisville community.

One of the highest honors for a Women Empowered® instructor is earning Instructor Bars on their Pink Belt. This recognition is awarded after personally guiding 10 students to develop the reflexes and proficiency required to earn their own Pink Belt.

Today, we are incredibly proud to present this honor to Heidi Elston (Heidi Nelson Elston)!

Heidi consistently goes above and beyond for every student she teaches. She doesn’t just help women earn a Pink Belt—she helps them discover genuine confidence and authentic empowerment that extends far beyond the mats.

Congratulations, Heidi! Thank you for your dedication, your passion, and the countless lives you’ve impacted. We can’t wait to see how many more women you’ll inspire in the years to come.

💗 Here’s to the next 10 years of empowering women in Louisville!

GracieUniversity WomenSupportingWomen

Being part of this team is an absolute honor. But having the privilege of teaching and empowering other women alongside my wife, Leeann Manganello, is more than a blessing—it’s an absolute dream.
I’m incredibly grateful to share the mats, the mission, and this journey with her. ❤️🥋 Leeann Manganello

I’d like to introduce our newest Certified Instructor, Mel McCarty! Melissa Schroeder McCarty She is already a certified Women Empowered instructor, but just got her certification last week to teach Gracie Combatives and Gracie Bullyproof!

Congratulations, Natalie on earning your Pink Belt! 🩷

Women Empowered Instructor Certification
July 2026
Congratulations to our newest Women Empowered Instructor, Bridget Rapson! 🩷

Big things happening! The movie never ends… SafeWrap for life! SafeWrap® System renergracie Ryron Gracie Bernardo Figueiredo

My good friend, retired Pennsylvania State Trooper (and black belt GST Master Instructor),Chuck Maiorana (Chuck Maiorana) will be teaching a gi-choke seminar at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Louisville! He recently taught in Phoenixville, PA and Virginia Beach and the reviews were off the charts! Mark your calendars - you don’t want to miss this one! Cash or check (no credit cards).

Monday night’s women’s class! Congratulations to Ashton Massengill on being promoted to pink belt and also to Heidi Nelson Elston (one of our certified Women Empowered instructors) on being promoted to Combatives belt! Ashton started four years ago and life happened, including having a baby! But that didn’t stop her. She never quit and her perseverance paid off! Heidi is one of our rockstar instructors. If you haven’t worked with her yet, you need to book a private class. Congratulations, ladies! You are an inspiration to both women and men alike! We are so happy to have you part of our family.

Let’s go, Utah! The Guard is considered the secret weapon of Jiu-Jitsu. Come join us on the mats July 8 to make it even more dangerous!