Lavinia’s Story
She Was You. Five Years of Watching.
One Birthday. Everything Changed.
For five years, Lavinia Goodloe watched her husband train jiu-jitsu from the other side of the mat. She saw what it was doing to the people on it – the discipline, the growth, the transformation. And she was still too intimidated to try.
Then in 2017, Gracie Barra Centennial opened its doors. The date happened to be her birthday. She took her first class that day.
She now trains multiple times a week, teaches in the women’s program, and is about to be promoted to brown belt – one of the highest achievements in this art. She went from watching through the glass to leading on the mat.
If you have been watching from the outside – telling yourself it’s not for you, that you’ll start someday, that you’re not quite ready – Coach Lavinia’s story is your answer.
I almost didn’t come in. I figured it would be all guys and I’d feel like I didn’t belong. I was wrong on both counts.
Student, Women’s program
Jiu-jitsu was designed specifically so that technique beats size. A smaller person – with the right training – can control and overcome someone much larger. That is not a tagline. It is the origin story of this art, and it is more relevant for women than for anyone else on this mat.
Why This Works
What Jiu-Jitsu Actually Gives Women
The Foundational Argument
Technique Over Size.
Every Single Time.
Helio Gracie – co-founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the man whose philosophy we carry – was not a large man. He was 5’6″ and approximately 140 lbs. He spent his life proving that leverage, position, and technique could overcome any physical advantage.
That principle is the entire reason jiu-jitsu is uniquely suited to women. Not because it’s designed to be gentle – because it’s designed to be effective regardless of size. You do not need to be strong. You need to be precise, calm, and patient. Those are not limitations. On this mat, they are advantages.
Women who train jiu-jitsu consistently describe the same shift: they stop navigating the world with low-level anxiety about physical vulnerability, and start moving through it with a quiet confidence that changes everything – not just when they’re on the mat.
01
Real self-defense.
Not choreographed strikes or memorized sequences. Real positional control based on physics – how to use leverage, not strength, to create safety in any situation.
02
A different kind of confidence.
Not performed. Not filtered for social media. The kind that comes from having done something genuinely hard and knowing – from experience – that you can do it again.
03
Community that’s real.
The relationships formed on this mat are some of the most honest you’ll have. You’ve been in uncomfortable situations together. That creates something that lasts.
04
Zero experience required.
Everyone starts from zero. The question is never where you started – only whether you’re willing to show up and do the work. Everything else follows from that.
The Culture
What Robert Commits To — From the Owner
Robert’s Personal Commitment
The Culture Here Is
Non-Negotiable.
We have built something at Gracie Barra Centennial where every person on this mat — regardless of gender, age, or experience level — is expected to show up, work hard, and look out for the person next to them. That is the culture. Full stop.
Respect is not optional here. It is required — by every student, in every round, in every interaction before and after class. Anyone who doesn’t hold that standard doesn’t belong on this mat. That is a promise I make personally.
My wife Lavinia trains and teaches here as a 4-stripe purple belt. My family is on this mat. Every standard I hold my instructors to is one I hold myself to first. This is not a school I built and stepped back from. I am here.
“I built this school to be a place I would trust with the people I love most. That’s the standard we hold — every class, every instructor, every day.”
— Robert Goodloe, Owner & Black Belt
What this means in practice — our non-negotiables
ICP Certified
Every instructor holds a current Gracie Barra ICP certification — the global standard for qualifying BJJ instructors. No exceptions.
Background Check
Every instructor has passed a thorough background check before ever teaching a class here.
Zero Tolerance
Any behavior involving harassment, boundary violations, or inappropriate conduct results in immediate action — up to and including permanent removal. There are no second chances on this.
Pairing Standards
Students are paired thoughtfully — by size, experience, and readiness. Mismatched pairings are adjusted immediately, without hesitation.
Your Instructors
The women leading this program
Coach Traci Monaghan
Women’s BJJ Instructor · Blue Belt
Coach Monaghan leads the Women’s BJJ program at Gracie Barra Centennial and makes sure every woman who walks through the door feels welcomed from the first class.
Coach Lavinia Goodloe
Assistant Instructor · Purple Belt – 4 Stripes · Brown Belt Promotion Pending
Coach Lavinia went from watching through the glass to teaching on the mat. Her story is the clearest answer to anyone wondering whether it is too late to start.
Class Structure
What Happens in a Women’s Class
Structured. Intentional. Built Around Your Progress.
Women’s classes at Gracie Barra Centennial follow the same Gracie Barra curriculum structure as the adult program — because the art is the same. The difference is the environment: a class where every person on the mat is invested in each other’s progress, and where new students are welcomed and supported from day one.
| Class element | |
|---|---|
| Warm-Up | |
| Technical Drill | |
| Water Break | |
| Technique 1 — Self-Defense / Takedown | |
| Technique 2 — Ground | |
| Live Training / Positional Rounds | |
| Cool Down & Class Close | |
| Total class time |
For Complete Beginners
Start with no experience and no gear. The program begins with fundamental movement and builds from there. Your first class is guided, not thrown.
For Experienced Practitioners
The GB curriculum adds structure and depth to what you already know. Women who’ve trained elsewhere consistently say they learn new things here from the first class.
Student Voices
In Their Own Words
Real stories from women who walked in nervous and found something stronger than they expected.
“I came in nervous. I left feeling like I could handle anything. I’ve felt that way every class since.”
Student, Women’s program
“I thought it wasn’t for me. Turns out it was exactly for me.”
Student, Women’s program
“The first woman I trained with spent twenty minutes just showing me how to fall safely. That’s when I knew this was different.”
Student, Women’s program
“I walk differently now. Not because I became aggressive — because I stopped being afraid.”
Student, Women’s program
Questions Women Ask
Before They Come In
Will I be the only woman in class?
No. Our women’s program is a dedicated class where you will train primarily with other women, with coaches who understand what it feels like to walk in for the first time.
Is it safe? What is the culture actually like?
Every instructor is ICP certified and background-checked. We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, boundary violations, or inappropriate conduct of any kind.
I’m not athletic or flexible. Does that matter?
Not at all. You do not need to be flexible, fast, coordinated, or in shape to start. The class begins with fundamentals and builds from there.
What’s the difference between this and a self-defense class?
Jiu-jitsu gives you live, repeatable practice with leverage, position, and control. You are not memorizing a few moves; you are learning a skill that keeps improving.
Will I have to spar on my first day?
No. Your first class introduces the movement, culture, and people. Live training is introduced progressively when you are ready for it.
First Class
Your First Women’s Class — Step by Step
Walk in nervous. Leave knowing exactly what happens next. Join women from Centennial, Highlands Ranch, and Littleton who train here every week.
01
You arrive. Coach Traci or another instructor meets you.
Come in comfortable workout clothes. You’ll get a warm welcome, a look at the space, and a chance to ask anything before class starts. No surprises.
02
You warm up as a group.
Warmups are approachable and movement-based. Follow along at whatever pace feels right. Nobody’s watching to see how athletic you are — they’re warming up too.
03
You learn a technique. You drill it with a partner.
Step by step. What it is, why it works, how to apply it. Then you practice it with a partner at a controlled pace.
04
You do guided positional training.
Controlled, specific, instructor-guided. You practice applying what you just learned. Not open sparring — just the next step in understanding how this works.
05
You leave knowing something you didn’t know before.
That’s the promise. Not just a technique — a feeling. The feeling of having done something real, being challenged, and meeting it.
Come In Nervous.
Leave Feeling Like
You Can Handle Anything.
Your first class is free. Come meet the coaches, feel the environment, and see what this program is actually about.