Today we’d like to introduce you to Janice Morono.
Hi Janice, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Gracie Barra The Woodlands opened in 2007. We have a large Kids and Adults program for Brazilian Jui Jitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA training. I run the gym with my husband, Alex Morono. He has been training here from day one. Our Head Muay Thai coach, Matt Wald and Alex have been training together over 15 years. Alex is a third degree Black belt and active competitor in the UFC. His head MMA coach is Sayif Saud from Fortis MMA, along with Coach Matt for striking . The rest of our lead coaches for classes are all seasoned Black belts. So you can be confident that you are going to get an organized, high level of training. Our classes begin at age 4, and we have members from the casual trainer to professional athletes. Safety is our number one priority!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We built and moved to a brand new location on Richards Road at the end of 2019. Because of our dedicated members, we got thru Covid and came back stronger than ever. Our team continues to grow, compete, and succeed.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Alex runs classes daily alongside our other Black belts and assistant coaches. When he’s not coaching or training, he is commentating for Fury Fighting Championship and Submission Hunter Pro, or competing in the cage himself. This January marked his 10-year anniversary with the UFC, and he remains an active fighter.
We also have a full-time Program Director who oversees day-to-day academy operations. I am also a Black belt and nassist in coaching the BJJ classes and oversee the administrative side of the business. When I’m not on the mats, I am either coaching our competitors or helping families find their next home as a Realtor.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
We are a family-owned small business. We like to give back to the community by sponsoring local schools, up and coming athletes, and support other small businesses as much as possible. Professor Alex has been a guest speaker at multiple schools and venues. We take our position as coaches and role models seriously and strive to be good examples for our future kids.
I believe that in addition to the hard work that we put in behind the scenes, success has come to us because of how much we care about our students and the gym culture that we continue to create together.
Pricing:
- BJJ $199/mo
- Muay Thai $199/mo
- BJJ, Muay Thai, and MMA $249/mo
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mmathewoodlands.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graciebarrathewoodlandstx/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/GracieBarraTheWoodlands/
- Other: https://www.har.com/janice-morono/agent_jmorono
