Rener Gracie was born into the family that founded Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). His jiu-jitsu journey began before he took his first steps, and he earned his black belt at nineteen. In 2009, with the help of his brother, Ryron Gracie, he broke the mold of traditional martial arts instruction by creating the first interactive online learning center for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which today boasts over 350,000 students in 196 countries. Headquartered in southern California, Gracie University has over 200 certified training centers worldwide. Rener is also founder and CEO of several multimillion-dollar companies; has invented several products including Quikflip Apparel, the sweatshirt that converts into a backpack, and the Sleeper Hold, the world’s best travel pillow; and has appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank.

Paul Volponi is the award-winning author of 20 books including Phyllis George: Shattering the Ceiling (a nonfiction biography), and the novels The Final Four (on the NYC Chancellor’s reading list NYC Reads 365), Top Prospect (part of Scholastic’s nationwide book club), and Black and White (winner of the international Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award). Paul is the recipient of a dozen American Library Association honors.