# The Submission Artist Erica Zendell’s writing work lies at the crossroads of creativity and combat sports—and, increasingly, other sports. Forthcoming: more interviews, reflections, and reviews focused on commitment, continuous improvement, and what it means to be strong. Page: Feed: --- ## [May your resume become the least interesting thing about you.](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/may-your-resume-become-the-least) _2026-06-04 · Erica Zendell_ A talk about jiu-jitsu, the cost of living without regret, and more from my 10-year MBA reunion at MIT Sloan in May 2026 ## [One Brown Belt's Perspective, Nine Years Later](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/one-brown-belts-perspective-nine) _2026-03-27 · Erica Zendell_ An annual reflection on my jiu-jitsu anniversary on what I’ve learned about the sport and about myself in the preceding year ## [The Atos "Dream Team" Nightmare: On The Tragedy of Jiu-Jitsu's Latest Scandal](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/the-atos-dream-team-nightmare-on) _2026-02-04 · Erica Zendell_ If it can happen at Atos Jiu-Jitsu's Headquarters, it can happen anywhere. And it will happen again. ## [On Writing a Maternity Leave Plan for a Corporate Tech Job](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/on-writing-a-maternity-leave-plan) _2026-02-01 · Erica Zendell_ Because an "email job" done well requires more than a "see you in three months" if you want a job to come back to. ## [On Surviving the Baby Registry Process](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/on-surviving-the-baby-registry-process) _2026-01-19 · Erica Zendell_ If you think that baby registries are overwhelming, peculiar, and un-fun, you’re not alone! Like almost everything else about pregnancy, that’s completely normal, too. ## [2025 in review](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/2025-in-review) _2026-01-02 · Erica Zendell_ My best laid plans of 2025 were redefined by ACL rehab and pregnancy. With a new baby on deck in 2026, the only plan is to adapt as gracefully as possible. ## [On Managing a Training Layoff](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/on-managing-a-training-layoff) _2025-12-21 · Erica Zendell_ What I did when following ACL surgery and what I'll do differently when sidelined and returning to sport postpartum ## [On Training Jiu-Jitsu Through Pregnancy](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/on-training-jiu-jitsu-through-pregnancy) _2025-12-14 · Erica Zendell_ And why, until Week 30, I've been insistent on slowing down and adapting rather than fully stopping ## [Week 29: "Bringing the Whole Self to Work"](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/week-29-bringing-the-whole-self-to) _2025-12-07 · Erica Zendell_ Reflections on pregnancy and professional life, inspired by the final work trip of my "pre-mom era." ## [One Cloud, Every AI Layer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/ZaBRUfaXoCck) _2025-12-07 · **Sponsored**_ Run agents, inference, and infrastructure on one stack — economics improve as you scale. ## [Week 28: “So have you had any weird cravings?”](https://submissionartist.substack.com/p/week-28-so-have-you-had-any-weird) _2025-11-29 · Erica Zendell_ Expectations and realities of pregnancy-related food cravings on the heels of America’s biggest food holiday.