Women learning lessons on and off the mat at She Devil Jiu Jitsu Club
She Devil Jiu Jitsu provides safe space
Through battles on the ground, women are learning all kinds of lessons at the She Devil Jiu Jitsu Club. FOX 13 Photojournalist Barry Wong reports.
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Through battles on the ground, women are learning all kinds of lessons at the She Devil Jiu Jitsu Club in New Port Richey.
"Supporting each other is an amazing experience," She Devil Jiu Jitsu Club member TC Brown said.
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The backstory:
Owner Michele "Bella" Milo founded the club in 2021, an offshoot of a separate dojo in Tarpon Springs.
Previously, most of her jiu jitsu training had been mainly around men, but after hearing stories about some women's hesitancy to step onto the mat, she decided to provide a solution.
"We would have sometimes three ladies at class and slowly grew organically," Milo said.
The club offered pop-up classes at various locations until 2025, when Milo opened up The Den to provide a permanent training studio.
Dig deeper:
"There are women in this club, including myself, that have experienced trauma around men, and so they're just able to relax and get comfortable and not worry about that in a way that's not possible in any other type of environment," Brown said.
Sometimes, the past trauma comes in the form of domestic violence.
"My therapist actually sent me to She Devil Jiu Jitsu. He said, ‘you cannot heal until you feel safe,’" She Devil Jiu Jitsu Club member Ashley Miller said.
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Miller also suffers from long-term chronic dislocations. She didn't learn to walk until age 17.
"Getting over my fear of being on my knees, I never thought that my body would be able to do all these amazing things, and then now I'm actually doing them," Miller said.
Some women, like member Nicole Dufala, joined to learn how to defend themselves. Dufala is a local realtor.
"Being in houses by myself and vacant homes, I felt like that was something that was necessary for me to do," Dufala said. "If somebody were to grab me, I feel like, at this point, four years in, it's a lot of muscle memory. So, if somebody does grab you, you kind of take over, and you don't panic."
What they're saying:
No matter the reason for joining, most of the members say the sisterhood environment keeps them coming back.
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"You can come in here, you can be vulnerable. You can come here, and you know you can talk about anything you know like, and it kind of all just stays here, like what happens in The Den stays in The Den," She Devil Jiu Jitsu Club member Draah Valencia said.
What's next:
She Devil Jiu Jitsu offers classes every Monday to Saturday. Next month, the club is hosting a Galentine’s Grappling Weekend, a women-centered training event bringing together eight local female black belts to teach, train and connect.
The Source: Information in this article was gathered through interviews with the She Devil Jiu Jitsu owner and members.