If 10 years ago somebody had told Tia Clark she'd be a professional crabber, she'd have told that person to jump back into their spaceship.
Today, Tia leads people of all ages on crabbing expeditions through her booming Charleston business, Casual Crabbing With Tia, which is recognized as one of AirBnb's TOP Experiences in the world!
On Season 4, Episode 5 of The Conch podcast, she shares what it means to "casually" crab, why growing up in a big Gullah Geechee family shaped her connection to the water, and how she deals with imposter syndrome in moments when she can't quite believe she's teaching people the art of crabbing.
Episode Transcript:
Episode Guide:
- :00 Intro
- 01:08 Tia Clark went to the pier to throw a crab net to regain her health, a simple act that changed her entire soul and life's trajectory.
- 02:49 Through Casual Crabbing, Tia shares her experience of building a relationship with the water. Here's how it looks.
- 05:55 Casual Crabbing is also Tia's love letter to her hometown of Charleston, as people buy licenses to crab, which are reinvested to put life back into the water.
- 08:12 How do we cultivate organic stewards of an important resource when they don't have access to that resource?
- 12:56 It's never too late to change your life's path. How Tia went from 20 years in the food and beverage sector to an experience that figuratively "cracked her head open."
- 15:29 Casual Crabbing with Tia started as an AirBnb Experience and is recognized as one of AirBnb's best in the world.
- 24:10 While a huge challenge, COVID spurred the next evolution of the Casual Crabbing experience.
- 28:17 Tia grew up in a big Gullah Geechee family, which meant eating a lot of seafood, especially blue crabs. However, somewhere along the line, she lost her love of cooking food for her culture and heritage. The act of crabbing brought it all back.
- 30:58 Why did Tia never go crabbing when she was a child?
- 33:02 Tia's experience as a woman on the water and why only men get pinched by the crabs.
- 37:53 Three tips to fight your inner imposter.
- 41:04 Career advice: work for joy, not money, and (echoing past podcast guest Stephanie Harris-Uyidi!) do it scared.
- 46:06 Tia gives an inspirational shoutout to a mentor and friend.
Resources:
- Learn more about how to join Tia on a Casual Crabbing experience.
- Visit Charleston Water Keepers and the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) Program to learn more about how, along with Tia, these organizations educate, empower, and engage the communities around Charleston, creating organic stewards who care about their watersheds.
- Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about how fishing and crabbing can not only bring food to your table, but health and happiness to your life.
