Our Team — Rise | Community Jiu-Jitsu

We’re growing our team of Jiu-Jitsu, martial arts and community sports enthusiasts.

If you want to get involved get in contact!

I’ve been training, coaching and competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for 10 years and know first-hand it can be life-changing!
I’ve worked in social enterprise and youth work for the same amount of time. Through my work I’ve met many young people and adults who would love to train BJJ but can’t afford to get started.
I set up Rise to change that!

Meet Whylee, a lifelong martial artist who competed in TaeKwonDo from 6 until his early teens where he moved onto kickboxing and muay thai. By his early twenties he'd found a passion for MMA and fell in love with grappling. Now at the grand old age of 40 he is a fully qualified PT (level 3) and focuses on BJJ (purple belt) and Combat Jiujitsu (brown belt) where he relishes his role as a mentor to young people in the Bristol area where he teaches all ages self defence, blade defence and multiple attacker training.
"I think what Tom and the guys are doing at Rise is quite inspiring and much needed in inner city areas. Jiujitsu is a great sport for increasing confidence, self defence and building a sense of community irrespective of background. I thoroughly enjoy working with these guys!" - Whylee
You can follow Whylee’s adventures on his Instagram and his martial arts accounts.

I got hooked on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2020 the same way I obsessed over skateboarding as a kid—drawn in by the endless creativity, problem-solving, and the challenge of mastering something that never stands still. Beyond the mats, BJJ has shaped how I see the world, teaching resilience, patience, and adaptability in ways that spill over into everyday life.
For years, I’ve worked with purpose-driven brands, helping them tell stories that resonate with real human experience. As Brand Director at Rise, my mission is to do the same—showing how Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just a sport but a powerful tool for transformation. Whether it’s building confidence, finding community, or creating opportunities, Rise exists to make BJJ accessible to those who need it most. My goal is to help bridge that connection, bringing more people into the fold and proving that the lessons learnt on the mats extend far beyond them.

Zaira is a software engineer with a wealth of experience in youth training and grassroots community initiatives. She is the Founder of Coderoots Gambia and was Co-Director of May Project Gardens CIC for 5 years, taking it from an unfunded volunteer led group to an award-winning social enterprise developing deeply embedded community initiatives across London.

Since 2012, she has led a number of youth initiatives, including an employability programme in renewable technology. Her connection to supporting the economic development of Africa was born in her dissertation on Eric Williams and Walter Rodney, and cemented when she ran a Business and Enterprise training course for microbusinesses in Gambia and realised how much could be unlocked by facilitating access to credible resources.

Kathryn is a lead service designer for the UK Civil Service, focused on ensuring that the design of critical services is centred on the realities of the people who use them. She understands that services need to be deeply rooted in the communities they serve, something she explored while acting as a school governor in East London.
Kathryn is also a lifelong martial arts practitioner with 28 years of experience in disciplines as diverse as Boxing and Wrestling to Capoeria. As a 2nd Dan black belt in Karate and brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a proud advocate of the benefits of BJJ for mental health and personal development, and an active BJJ coach, she personally understands and supports the mission and potential of Rise, Community Jiu-Jitsu.

I am a first-year marketing student at the University of Bristol, volunteering as a communications assistant. I’m passionate about showcasing how BJJ can empower individuals, primarily through social media. My goal is to help Rise connect with younger audiences, demonstrating that BJJ is not just a sport but also a transformative experience.

I got hooked on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2020 the same way I obsessed over skateboarding as a kid—drawn in by the endless creativity, problem-solving, and the challenge of mastering something that never stands still. Beyond the mats, BJJ has shaped how I see the world, teaching resilience, patience, and adaptability in ways that spill over into everyday life.
For years, I’ve worked with purpose-driven brands, helping them tell stories that resonate with real human experience. As Brand Director at Rise, my mission is to do the same—showing how Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just a sport but a powerful tool for transformation. Whether it’s building confidence, finding community, or creating opportunities, Rise exists to make BJJ accessible to those who need it most. My goal is to help bridge that connection, bringing more people into the fold and proving that the lessons learnt on the mats extend far beyond them.

Danny found martial arts in 2009, after having spent his teens and twenties pursuing a career as an actor while eschewing any form of exercise. He spent 3 years being completely obsessed with Muay Thai, and even travelled to Thailand to train and compete. At the beginning of 2012, he stumbled into a Jiu Jitsu gym, and never looked back.
Being small of stature, and having avoided exercise for most of his life up to that point, Danny was drawn to BJJ for two primary reasons. Not only was he able to train and spar with much bigger people, he also managed to survive the experience unscathed. Training BJJ has helped him to deal with insecurities surrounding physical confrontation, and opened his eyes to the positive impact BJJ can have on others.
Ultimately, Danny thinks that Jiu Jitsu should be fun. He makes the learning experience enjoyable through games designed to help make the complicated subject of Jiu Jitsu easier to understand. Knowing that BJJ puts people in uncomfortable situations, his classes prioritise safety and consent – the kids are encouraged to speak up, and “no” is always respected.
Having witnessed BJJ change the lives of countless people, including himself, Danny loves that teaching gives him the opportunity to help others and find what it is that Jiu Jitsu can offer them.
Danny runs Jiu-Jitsu Social in Westbourne Park and teaches kids classes at Studio NW2 in Cricklewood in London.

Harry is the founder / operator of multiple businesses within the food and events sector, specialising in brand and UX. Passionate about health, fitness and community, he is working on a new social enterprise that aims to promote those values while training to become a psychotherapist at the CCPE in London.

Harees has been involved in grappling and martial arts for nearly 10 years, training under coaches at Leicester Shootfighters, Fightzone, and London Grapple. Growing up in a low-income household, Harees appreciated affordable sports clubs that kept him active and instilled discipline. When Harees found Rise, he was honoured to join the team and work towards making grappling accessible to everyone. Outside of Rise, Harees is a product owner dedicated to building tech for good and creating positive change through innovative solutions.