Meet Daniel and Pam Johnson | Owners and students of BJJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel and Pam Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel and Pam, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
There is a saying on the Jiu Jitsu community “Jiu Jitsu saved my life.” Not only is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) a great form of exercise, but we believe creating a safe and loving community while also teaching self defense and life skills is what makes Refuge so special.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As most of our community knows, we are very new to running Refuge, as we just took over ownership in January of 2022. We certainly don’t think we deserve this, and know we have so much to learn. However, we feel strongly that God called us to Refuge and to our friendship with the Guerra family. We can only hope to maintain Refuge as a safe haven for all our students and families and help group our community in something we believe so strongly in.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
“What do you think about coming to BJJ class with me???” Of course, I try to bring all my visiting friends to Refuge. To fill the rest of our week, I would recommend my friends try out some of the amazing restaurants in Cave Creek, like Local Johnny’s, then we could grab some coffee at Roastery of Cave Creek to enjoy later at home. Don’t forget the pastries from Its a Divine Bakery. There are wonderful hiking trails and outdoor activities as long as it’s not summer. If they just want to relax there is no bad spot for a great view in the north valley.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Josh and Kanani Guerra are the true backbone of Refuge Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The Guerras started Refuge in 2018 and built this amazing community. The Guerras are still our head coaches and they are truly the stars of Refuge. I think every student would say they come to our gym for the coaching they receive. We would be nothing without the Guerra family. Let’s not forget their adorable children who you can find training on the mats or obediently sitting next to them most days!

Website: https://refugebjj.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/refuge_bjj/?hl=en

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/refugebjj/

Yelp: https://yelp.to/lNAVV7kzIsb