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About Mariele
Mariele Klering is a Brazilian writer and resilience advocate based in New Zealand. After over a decade in the tech industry, she stepped onto the Jiu-Jitsu mat during a time of personal upheaval—and never left. Her writing explores the intersections of strength, loss, identity, and the quiet power of doing hard things. She is the author of The Mat as a Mirror, a book about how movement can hold, challenge, and reshape us.
Featured Book: The Mat as a Mirror
A powerful collection of stories exploring how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helped women navigate hardship, rebuild confidence, and rediscover themselves.
“This book is a raw and beautiful invitation to sit with our bruises and see them as maps of survival. Mariele writes with clarity, humility, and ferocity.”
— Editorial Review
“The Mat as a Mirror isn't just about Jiu-Jitsu. It's about every woman who's ever had to rebuild herself from scratch.”
— Early Reader
“This book doesn't flinch from the hard stuff—and that's what makes it beautiful. It's about grit, grief, and the quiet power of starting again.”
— Reader Testimonial
“A must-read for any woman who's ever felt like she had to fight to find herself again.”
— Book Reviewer
As Featured In
“What started as a hesitant ‘okay’ to attend a self-defense seminar became something far bigger: a deep connection to Jiu-Jitsu… Mariele’s journey is deeply personal, yet profoundly universal.”
“With raw honesty, she shares personal excerpts alongside reflections on the transformative journey that changed her life… the mat wasn’t just a place to master grappling techniques—it became a space that mirrored life’s biggest lessons.”
Upcoming Events
- September 12 – Speaker at Journey to Excellence (M2woman Event, Christchurch)
- May 30 – Speaker at Journey to Excellence (M2woman Event, Auckland)
Mariele will share her journey of transformation through Jiu-Jitsu, grief, and growth, illustrating how resilience is built not in theory, but in motion.