About Us

Hello, my name is Andi, owner and sole proprietor of Cariboo Jiu Jitsu. I am an instructor with 14 years of training under Dean Toews, starting out as a white belt in 2011 and graduating to black belt under Roderigo Pagani and Dean Toews in 2022.

About Andi

I was born in Derby England, and I moved to BC in 2007 with my wife and 2 young children. In 2011, I was introduced to Jiu Jitsu when my oldest son expressed an interest to train; as any supportive parent does, I took him to class, watched him grow and longed to be on the mat doing what he was doing. I didn't think this was possible, I was overweight, had pre-diabetes and little confidence.

Fortunately, the coach saw the potential in me that I didn't realize at that time, he encouraged me to start training and with the right support he empowered me to keep going. It didn't take long to realize that I truly loved this sport, I started to see my weight drop and my lab numbers fall, no longer with pre-diabetes. I noticed that my mood and energy improved and I started to make meaningful connections with people that became a second family, something that I had struggled to do in other situations.

I moved to 100 Mile house in late 2023 in search of a less chaotic life, falling in love with the area and the people who lived here but my life felt incomplete without Jiu Jitsu.

For this reason, I made the decision that I needed to open my own insured and licensed training facility to give people in 100 Mile house area the opportunity that I had and to continue my passion in the art of Jiu Jitsu. I credit my growth and journey to Brasil Wellness Centre where this all began. I will be following the teaching principles of Rodrigo Pagani.

My Experience