Erin Herle was born on August 31, 1989, and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, California, immersed in the hardcore and punk music scene from an early age. Her path to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was as unconventional as it was formative — arriving not through a gym flyer or a friend's recommendation, but through an online forum dedicated to hardcore music.

As Herle recounted in a July 2016 interview with Jiu-Jitsu Style, she came across a forum member from Maryland who was selling cupcakes online to fund his trip to the Pan American Championship — an event being held near her home in Southern California. She offered to meet him at the tournament, and after watching him compete, she stayed to observe a women's match. The experience captivated her immediately. At the time, she was navigating a difficult chapter: low self-esteem, no clear direction, and a faltering sense of purpose in college. She was also on acne medication and felt unable to leave the house without makeup. Even with people she already knew at a local gym, that self-consciousness kept her from walking through the door. It took her more than a year after first encountering jiu-jitsu to finally begin training.

She stepped onto the mats for the first time in August 2009 at age 19, joining Rômulo Barral's class — a decision that would lay the foundation for everything that followed.

Foundations Under Rômulo Barral

Herle's early development unfolded under Rômulo Barral, whom someone had described to her as the "Michael Jordan of jiu-jitsu." That characterization made an immediate impression — she absorbed everything he said, both on and off the mat. Barral's team was in transition at the time, training first at Legacy MMA before he relocated to open Gracie Barra Northridge. Herle and a small, loyal group of training partners followed him through the move.

Those formative years shaped her character as much as her technique. She reflected warmly in the Jiu-Jitsu Style interview on her evolving perception of Edwin Najmi, whom she initially sized up as "the biggest punk," only to find him become one of the most genuine people she had ever met. The environment did present real challenges, however — there were few women and few training partners her size or age, a circumstance that gradually pushed her toward change.

The Move to Cobrinha's Alliance Academy

When Rubens Charles — known as Cobrinha — relocated to a facility approximately 26 miles away, Herle faced a crossroads. She described the decision as difficult, but ultimately the choice was clear: Cobrinha's Alliance academy in Los Angeles offered something she had been missing — more female training partners. She made the switch and continued developing her game under one of the sport's most decorated lightweights.

Training at the Marcelo Garcia Academy

As a purple belt, Herle moved to New York City to train under Marcelo Garcia at his renowned academy. Her Alliance affiliation eased the transition, though she noted in the Jiu-Jitsu Style interview that she would have sought out the Marcelo Garcia Academy regardless. She also completed her college degree before leaving California. It was in New York that she earned her brown belt in August 2015, and she described the Marcelo Garcia Academy as her home during that period.

Herle subsequently returned to California, where Rubens Charles awarded her the black belt on November 4, 2017 — the culmination of a journey shaped by three world-class instructors and a relentless commitment to growth.

Blue and Purple Belt Results

Herle has competed as a lightweight — Peso Leve (64 kg / 141.5 lbs) — representing the United States under the Alliance banner. Her competitive record across the belt ranks reflects a consistent presence among the sport's elite.

Her early results announced a competitor of genuine promise. At blue belt in 2012, she went five matches deep at the IBJJF World Championship and reached the final, falling by a single advantage — a razor-thin margin that placed her as runner-up at one of the sport's most prestigious events. That same year, she earned silver at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship as a purple belt. She returned to the IBJJF World Championship podium in 2013, placing third at purple belt.

Brown Belt Dominance

The brown belt years represented the peak of her pre-black belt competitive career. At the 2015 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, she claimed gold — her first world title. She followed that with victory at the 2016 IBJJF European Open at brown belt. In 2017, her brown belt season proved especially productive: she won gold at the IBJJF São Paulo Open, earned silver at the Pan Championship, placed third at the World Championship, placed third at the European Open, and reached the podium again at the South American Championship.

Black Belt Competition

After earning her black belt in November 2017, Herle maintained her presence on the international stage. She won the 2018 IBJJF Asian Open in the Middle division and earned silver at the 2018 IBJJF European Open, establishing herself as a credible force in the black belt ranks.

Blogging and the Birth of a Platform

Parallel to her competitive journey, Herle built a media presence that grew organically from her own need to document life on the mats. As a white belt, she began blogging about what jiu-jitsu actually felt like as a beginner — writing honestly about anxiety, depression, and feeling lost both in life and in the sport, and consistently acknowledging her own limitations rather than projecting false confidence.

In the July 2016 Jiu-Jitsu Style interview, she described the moment the idea crystallized: "It started to click that maybe people would want to read about what it's like to hang out with Romulo, or Beneil Dariush, so I realised I had access to people that others wanted to know about and I started a zine." She personally printed, folded, and distributed those zines at her own expense — a grassroots operation driven entirely by her own initiative.

From Budo Videos to a Broader Platform

After reaching out to Budo Videos, they proposed she work for them directly rather than simply advertise. She took on a role interviewing athletes and producing a monthly Q&A column. When that arrangement concluded, she moved her content online — teaching herself to code while working from coffee shops — and eventually brought on other writers to expand the platform's reach. Her media output grew to include The Jiu-Jitsu Journal and instructional video projects. As of July 2016, she was writing for Adidas Combat Sports and completing the Miyao Project in collaboration with FloGrappling.

The Origin of the Campaign

The most personally significant dimension of Herle's public work emerged from the most painful experience of her life. In 2015, her father died by suicide. In the aftermath, she founded the #SubmitTheStigma campaign — an effort to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and encourage open conversation, particularly within the jiu-jitsu community.

In the Jiu-Jitsu Style interview, Herle spoke candidly about the parallels between herself and her father. She described resembling him both physically and in personality, and recalled that from around age 15, he had become increasingly confined to a single room at home. She acknowledged navigating many of the same internal struggles herself: ADHD, hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, and what she described as an addictive personality. These were not abstractions — they were lived experiences that informed every dimension of the campaign.

The Message and the Community

Herle's message centered on professional care, community, and honesty. She has spoken about the reality that one in five people are affected by mental illness and that many go undiagnosed. She views jiu-jitsu as a powerful complement to professional therapeutic support — a space where the physical and social dimensions of training reduce isolation and lower the barrier for difficult conversations. Through the campaign, community members shared deeply personal stories with her, stories she described as "really heavy."

Throughout all of it, she consistently deflected the role of figurehead. In the Jiu-Jitsu Style interview, she was direct: she is "not anyone's hero or leader," and Submit The Stigma belongs to the community, not to her personally.

Support and Ongoing Work

Gianni Grippo was with Herle when she received the news of her father's death. She spoke warmly of his support during that period, describing him as the image of a genuinely caring partner — one who understood that anxiety cannot be overcome by force, but rather met with patience, authenticity, and love.

As of July 2016, Herle was actively organizing events and super-seminars under the Submit The Stigma banner, with planned gatherings in Virginia, Colorado, and New York City, the latter featuring instructor friends and supporters of the cause.