#008 with Emilia Lilius - From Comp Chores to Getting Your Hands Dirty, "Hobbit Style" BJJ, & Growing Passion Projects

Miko captures the raw magic right after a gruelling training session to sit down with a powerhouse of the mat, a multi-time IBJJF medalist, and the self-proclaimed inventor of "hobbit style" jiu-jitsu: Emilia Lilius. Having transitioned away from her career as an active competitor, Emilia opens up about the deep contrast between training out of obligation versus finding true joy in the art. In this candid conversation, they explore how to build critical autonomy as an athlete, her early days navigating male-dominated rooms in Finland, training throughout a high-risk pregnancy, and dirtying her hands in a thriving landscape design business.What's Inside the Episode:Pettiness in the Pyjamas: Emilia drops a hilarious look into her early days as a small girl navigating male-dominated mats 15 years ago, revealing how pure pettiness to not let the men win saved her from early panic attacks and smothering pressure. The Blueprint of Autonomy: Why building codependent relationships with coaches can stall your progression, and how navigating her entire world-class black belt career without a day-to-day coach forced Emilia to become a master problem solver. The Post-Due-Date Sparring: A deep technical look into training while pregnant—recalling a wild sparring session with Miko on her literal due date and examining how maternal cardiovascular fitness directly conditions a baby’s heart resilience. The Vegan Weight-Cut Miracle: Emilia breaks down how shifting to a strict plant-based diet for nine years completely optimised her systemic recovery and transformed brutal weight cuts into easy transitions before tournaments. Re-engineering Green Spaces: A peek behind the curtain of Emilia's post-competition career—managing tech ads and designing tactical plant layouts to help black-thumb clients keep their household flora alive and thriving."When you are a competitor, especially when your income relies on it, the sport becomes a chore. Quitting competition allowed me to finally have my honeymoon with jiu-jitsu. Now I can goof around, lose rounds, and actually enjoy the training." — Emilia LiliusEnjoy the episode and remember to subscribe to the podcast.Watch this episode's video on YouTube: ⁠Episode 8 on YouTubeRemember: Jiu-Jitsu Never Dies.Manto 🥋www.man.to/chokesCode: Chokes -15%Find me on:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/chokes_and_more/⁠⁠TikTok: h⁠⁠ttps://www.tiktok.com/@chokes_and_more⁠⁠BJJ Fanatics: ⁠⁠https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/instructional-videos/fighter_miko-hytonen⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@chokesandmore⁠