Shows
Waterpeople PodcastGary McNeill: Make It LastHow do we make magic boards last longer? Gary McNeill and Dave have been experimenting with alternative, non-petrochemical materials for the last decade. The front runner in their experiments? Flax cloth, for board strength and durability. Stab recently ran The Electric Acid Surfboard Test, to explore the validity of their flax tinkerings. This episode features the flax master himself, shaper Gary McNeill. Gazza absolutely fizzes about all things board design. He's an accomplished competitive surfer and has worked as production manager and/or ghost shaper for some of surfing’s most we...2025-02-0359 min
Waterpeople PodcastDanny Johnson: Don't Overthink ItWe’re getting tangential. This episode is part of a three episode slip slide behind the scenes of a project that Dave’s been working on for the better part of 2024: The Electric Acid Surfboard test. It's a series that explores “alternative” surfboard design. Basically, iconic surfers on left-field, experimental surf craft. Our very own aquatic wombat, renowned question repeater, one David Rastovich, is this year’s test pilot.It's no secret: the stuff we use to go surfing is pretty toxic. Neoprene, wax, swimwear, surfboards. Most are petroleum products in one form or another...2024-11-191h 12
Waterpeople PodcastNidala Barker: Where We Belong“Whether or not you think you belong to the Earth is irrelevant, for you simply do. By virtue of breathing in you receive a gift of oxygen given by the tree and soil, by virtue of breathing out you gift carbon dioxide to the kelp so the fish may have their home. To accept our shared responsibility to the Earth, IS to remember our belonging.” – Nidala BarkerNidala is a surfer, musician and custodianship educator. She traces part of her ancestral roots to the Djugun and Jabirr-Jabirr people of the Kimberley in Australia’s North West, where she was i...2024-07-061h 36
Waterpeople PodcastDr. Kevin Stone: How to Play ForeverWhy are some octogenarians still surfing, while others struggle to walk up the stairs? It isn’t luck. Harvard and Stanford trained Orthopaedic surgeon Kevin R. Stone, MD, believes that injuries present as opportunities to better our athletic potential - they can make us fitter, faster, and stronger than before. He is the author of Play Forever: How to Recover From Injury and Thrive. Dr. Kevin Stone is a waterman and a world-renowned expert in biologic joint replacement. He founded The Stone Clinic and is Chairman of the Stone Research Foundation. Dr. Stone has...2024-06-2349 min
Waterpeople PodcastPauline Menczer: The Uncensored UnderdogHow to fund a pro surfing career in the 1980s? Sell stickers, Levi’s jeans, bicycles, whatever. Sleep in your board bag. Live on a diet of mushrooms and bread. World Champion Pauline Menczer got resourceful and hustled however it took to get her to the next stop of the tour. “In the 80s and 90s, surf culture was toxic, especially towards women. Pauline was a dirt-poor, chronically ill teen from Bondi, who defied insults and intimidation to make a name for herself in the surfing world. When Pauline's determination propelled her onto the pro tour, h...2024-06-091h 25
Waterpeople PodcastSung Min Cho: African AlohaWhen is surfing about more than just selfish wave hoggery? Mozambique’s first professional surfer, Sung Min Cho, or ‘Mini’ for short, is writing a new story for surfing – he’s part of a burgeoning surf culture rising from the wake of three decades of armed conflict in the region. In 2018, Mini co-counded Tofo surf club, Mozambique’s outpost of Surfers Not Street Children, which empowers street kids through surf coaching and mentorship. The effort has been funded in part by Pope Francis. Mini is on a mission to earn representation for his country in the O...2024-06-081h 11
Waterpeople PodcastTorren Martyn & Aiyana Powell: Solo, TogetherEver want to pack up normalcy and set sail over the horizon? What’s it really like to live at sea for a year and rarely be further than 35 feet from your new significant other?Torren Martyn and Aiyana Powell talk us through the peaks and troughs of life aboard Calypte, a borrowed 35-foot sailing boat that they spent 12 months sailing 9,000-kilometres - from Pattaya in the Gulf of Thailand to Lombok, an Indonesian island east of Bali - a journey chronicled in their new independent film Calypte. With little practical sailing experience, Torren and Aiya...2024-06-081h 36
Waterpeople PodcastAnnie Ford: Adventurous ActivismThe loudest human-made sounds: Nuclear Bomb (224 dB), Rocket launch (204 dB). And clocking in at 260 underwater decibels is the seismic blast, part of a process for exploring for oil and gas in the ocean. Unlike bombs and rockets, however, seismic blasts "fire approximately every 10 seconds around the clock for months at a time." For eight years, Marine Biologist Annie Ford worked onboard seismic blasting vessels, and felt the relentless explosions and reverberations from her bed at night. She has since peddled away from the fossil fuel industry and become one of its most creative whistleblowers. Annie i...2024-01-171h 42
Waterpeople PodcastSally Parkin: Sell the HouseAre you investing in yourself and your curiosities? At 63, Sally Parkin sold her home to spend the better part of 2023 surfing in Australia with her family. Sally is known for "single handedly" reviving the 100 year old tradition of English surfing on wooden bodyboards. She first surfed one at age 5, and decades later, when her family's quiver started to break, she realised there was only one local maker of traditional boards remaining. She founded The Original Surfboard Company to both produce timber boards and to recover the lost art of English prone surfing. Joined by...2024-01-021h 05
Waterpeople PodcastStu Nettle: Voice & VertigoInjuries are mostly out of our control. But recovery offers many choices. Will we allow the scar tissue to stiffen or soften us? Stu Nettle is the editor of Swellnet, one of Australia's leading independent surf media and forecasting sites, where he has written about board design, surf industry happenings, surf science, and coastal geology since 2008. Stu is a lifelong surfer but late-comer to surf media. He “had many unrelated life chapters, business failures, social experiments, and surf adventures before he ever got a word published.” We first encountered Stu’s work amongst the live...2023-12-281h 13
Waterpeople PodcastPacha Lina Luque Light: Learning the LanguageRaised on a diet of deep ecology and the DIY spirit of her single mom, Pacha Light earned her first surfboard busking as a tween. She then forged her way into professional surfing as a teenager on Australia’s Gold Coast: signing a big endemic sponsor, training every day, and making a name for herself as a competitor and surf model. Until she couldn’t do it any longer. She felt she was not fully in alignment with her values. Still, along the way, Pacha found her storytelling voice, bringing depth and meaning to her surf t...2023-12-181h 41
Waterpeople PodcastTyler C. Wilde: The Missing PieceHave you ever felt like something was wrong, but you weren't quite sure how to name it? Tyler Wilde is a teacher and bodysurfer from southern California. In 2017, Tyler won the prestigious International Surf Festival bodysurfing contest and was later voted into the Gillis Beach Bodysurfing Association as one of their youngest members. As a physical education teacher, his goal is to help his students "feel more embodied."Tyler went through a lengthy bout with depression and anxiety, and like many of us, he struggled to pinpoint the underlying causes. Getting back to...2023-11-261h 09
Waterpeople PodcastTom Carroll: Under the LipA little fire can keep you warm; a big fire can burn your house down. Two time ASP World Surfing Champion Tom Carroll speaks candidly about his struggles to harness the power that made him famous. From the highs of professional surfing to addiction and meditation, his large life is a study in harnessing and honing one's power in mind and body. Few surfers ever perform a wholly memorable maneuver . Tom broke down that norm in 1991 when he threw down a turn under the heaving lip of Pipeline - "a move that was so beautiful an...2023-11-181h 24
Waterpeople PodcastChristian and Ka'ale Sea: Many BeginningsMany of us dream of laying roots in some balmy, wave-rich location far from where we sprouted - to grow food and let the ocean dictate the day. Few of us do it.Christian and Ka'ale Sea have spent the last 21 years together - surfing, diving, planting, growing a family. They have three daughters, all homeschooled on the remote West Coast of Sumba Island, Indonesia, where they own and operate Ngalung Kalla retreat. Christian started life in the Atlantic, on the 48-foot wooden sailboat his father rebuilt. Launching from their homestead on St. Thomas, Christian c...2023-10-212h 00
Waterpeople PodcastFlora Christin Butarbutar: Kampung LifeAround 500,000 people were displaced by the 2018 earthquake that rocked the island of Lombok in Indonesia. It was estimated that 80% of all structures were levelled on the North of the island. At the time, Flora Christin Butarbutar, then in her early 20s, had taken up surfing on the Island of Bali. Originally from Sumatra, Flora was shaken by the need for help on the neighbouring island of Lombok. She put her budding surfing life aside, and harnessed her social media notoriety as Indonesia's first competitive female longboarder to garner aid for those in need on Lombok. She helped...2023-09-241h 07
Waterpeople PodcastMoana Jones Wong: AwakeningCan a single wave really change your life? For Hawaiian waterwoman Moana Jones Wong, one wave changed everything. She shares about the fated, sparkling bomb at Pipeline that altered both her sense of self, and her surfing career. Moana made history by winning the first ever Women’s Championship Tour event at Pipeline. As a North Shore local, she cut her teeth in heavy water, earning her the title “Queen of Pipe.”Moana was also the first to earn a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian and Indigenous Health and Healing. She co-stars in the Prime Video series ...2023-08-231h 09
Waterpeople PodcastLewis Arnold and Chris Nelson: Neoprene is ToxicWhat do neoprene wetsuits have to do with Cancer Alley ? The global wetsuit industry is valued at around $2.8 Billion USD."The vast majority of wetsuits on sale today are made of a synthetic rubber called Neoprene. Neoprene – the commercial name for chloroprene rubber – is the product of a toxic, carcinogenic chemical process.There is only one chloroprene plant in the US. It is owned by Japanese chemical company Denka and lies in the predominantly black, low income town of Reserve, Louisiana – in the heart of an area known as Cancer Alley. Rising from the site...2023-08-091h 17
Waterpeople PodcastFelicity Palmateer: Nature’s CourseIf you only had 10 healthy years left of life, would you choose to know it ?Big wave surfer Felicity Palmateer is known for her paddle-ins at Peahi, commentating WSL events, starring in Australian Survivor (twice) and holding the record for largest wave ever ridden by an Aussie woman.Parallel to her successful surfing career, Felicity has navigated tumultuous familial seas. She talks us through losing her mum to early onset dementia in 2021 — her 50/50 chance of inheriting the gene mutation that causes it - and how grief and loss have inspired her over the ledge at some...2023-07-2458 min
Waterpeople PodcastElizabeth Nguyen: Ancestral Stream“Each of us occupies a singular ecological niche in the web of life that is uniquely ours, and when we restore ourselves to health and vitality, we contribute to the health and vitality of our entire planet.” Such is the philosophy of psychiatrist and surfer Dr. Elizabeth Nguyen. Dr. Nguyen specialises in cross cultural psychiatry, the intersection of spirituality and mental health, and the healing power of water. She coined the term ‘human ecological restoration’ to describe the work she does to help her patients “clear out” psychological debris from trauma, both personal and ancestral. Elizabeth wa...2023-07-061h 16
Waterpeople PodcastChris Del Moro: Lead with DeedsWith gender norms up in the air, what does it mean to be a dad today? For Chris Del Moro, it means showing up for it all - good, bad, and messy - and maintaining stability for his family. Chris is an artist, surfer and devoted father to his two boys. He shares about the pivotal experiences with his own fathers and mentors that shaped him into the steadfast man he is today. Chris spent more than a decade as a professional freesurfer, featured in movies including "Sliding Liberia, "The Present” and the biographical Bella Vita b...2023-06-211h 40
Waterpeople PodcastBelen Alvarez Kimble: Watch MeWhen was the last time you refused to take 'no' for an answer ? Belen Alvarez Kimble shares about the life-changing instance when she pushed against cultural norms and expectations to lay down her life's path. Belen occupied one of the very few positions as a professional freesurfer through the early 2000s and worked with surf brands as an ambassador for unifying women’s surfing around the globe. She stands amongst the longboarding icons of the Blue Crush era that saw the resurgence of women to the line-up. Belen grew up in a traditional Mexican household in s...2023-06-081h 33
Waterpeople PodcastRusty Miller: Surfing Through LifeWhat's possible in the eighth decade of life? Rusty Miller will be 80 this year - and he's still rocking off at Lennox Point and taking off on the best set waves. Born in Southern Californian, Rusty was the 1965 United States Surfing Champion. He moved to Byron Bay Australia in 1970, where he has since lived, surfed, taught, and written about surfing -- and been an integral member of the community. Rusty was amongst the first surf travellers to venture to Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Portugal in the mid-1960s. In 1971, he was featured in Alb...2023-06-081h 36
Waterpeople PodcastSeason 5 TrailerWelcome back for the 5th Season of The Waterpeople Podcast. Listen in as Dave and Lauren turn the mic on one another and get set for 16 fresh episodes of ocean-centric storytelling. ....Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave RastovichSound Engineer: Ben Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Dave & BenJoin the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast Send us a text...Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: S...2023-06-0813 min
Waterpeople PodcastJames Nestor: Shut Your MouthIs your mouth open or closed right now ? There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: we take air in, let it out, and repeat 25,000 times a day. But most of us have forgotten how to do it properly. Journalist, aquanaut, surfer and author James Nestor's latest book BREATH: the New Science of a Lost Art explores the million-year-long history of how the human species has lost the ability to breathe properly and why we’re suffering from a laundry list of maladies—snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, autoimmune disease, allergies—because of it. He trav...2023-03-061h 10
Waterpeople PodcastLaola Lake Aea: Maka'alaLore of the Waikiki Beach Boys is well known – those legendary Hawaiian watermen like Duke Kahanamoku and Rabbit Kekai who regulated the turf of one surfing’s most fabled beaches. But where were the wahine ?Today we’re in conversation with original Waikiki Wahine Beach Boy Laola Lake, champion outrigger paddler, surfer and ocean safety advocate. Laola grew up in the ocean front cottages of the Royal Hawaiian hotel, where her mother worked, and received her Waikiki Beach Boy license in 1970. She helped found the Hawaii women’s Surfing Hui, which was part of opening the door...2023-02-2055 min
Waterpeople PodcastRick Ridgeway: Wild LifeHow will we choose to spend this one wild and precious life? Rick Ridgeway has devoted his seven decades to adventuring Earth's widest seas and tallest peaks -- and working to protect the wildness that remains. Rick's earliest adventures were oceanic – sailing and surfing – but he’s recognized amongst the world’s foremost mountineers. In 1976 he joined the American Bicentennial Everest Expedition, and in 1978 he and three others made the first American ascent of K2 – the second highest peak on Earth—they were the first team to do it without oxygen; Rick made the first documented tra...2023-02-071h 08
Waterpeople PodcastPeggy Oki: Artful ActivismAs a member of the Zephyr skateboard team in the 1970’s -- made famous by the documentary Dogtown and Z Boys -- Peggy Oki was at the top of the women’s skateboarding world while pioneering the vertical skating movement alongside the DogTown crew of Jay Adams, Tony Alva and Stacey Peralta, as the lone Z-Girl. Peggy is a surfer, skater, rock climber, and visual artist who has adventured between these creative expressions for more than fifty years. Parallel to living an adventurous life by way of stone and water, Peggy has become a tireless activist for the wellb...2022-12-211h 29
Waterpeople PodcastJock Sutherland: Muscle MemoryIn early 1970, Jock Sutherland enlisted in the U.S. Army to fight in Vietnam. At that time, he was considered amongst the most visible and versatile surfers on the planet. The surfing world was shocked; and so was his mother. Jock never made it to active duty, but spent two years in the service, after which he was rarely included in surf media. In 1989, Jock was busted for running cocaine and spent two years in prison. In his complexity and cleverness, Jock Sutherland has held an iconic position in the surfing community – a kind o...2022-12-141h 08
Waterpeople PodcastBonus: Guided Meditation with Nathan OldfieldFollowing on from our full length episode, Nathan Oldfield shares about his decade-long relationship with practicing and teaching meditation, and talks us through a short guided meditation that he offers to school children. …Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave RastovichSound Engineer: Ben Alexander Soundtrack By: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Wave Brain - Dave, Neal Purchase Jr. and Christian Barker + Nathan OldfieldJoin the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast Waterpeoplepodcast.comPhoto Credit: Nathan OldfieldSend us a text2022-11-2315 min
Waterpeople PodcastNathan Oldfield: Breathing RoomNathan Oldfield has journeyed into the depths of grief, and back, to make surf films brimming with reverence for the extraordinary beauty of life. He has crafted six award winning films, most recently The Heart & The Sea, and The Church of the Open Sky, which earned the Special Honor for Most Heart at the Xpedition Film Festival in Colorado. Nathan is also a poet and meditation teacher, and parallel to his creative life, has spent 25 years as a school teacher. He spoke with us about losing his daughter, Willow, how to 'stand' in love...2022-11-231h 11
Waterpeople PodcastAndy Ridley: Crowd PowerMost conservation organisations mirror corporations in structure, operation, and strategy. But has that been effective? Andy Ridley, founder of Earth Hour and Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, doesn't think so. He's asking how we build the 21st century conservation operation with the citizen at its heart. "The traditional way of doing conservation is 'pass us your money and we'll go and do it.' But we know that hasn't worked at the scale required." Andy is betting on harnessing the power of citizenship -- the rights AND responsibilities of belonging -- to cr...2022-11-0950 min
Waterpeople PodcastKarina Petroni: GumptionWhat happens when you lose it all? After a successful, 14 year professional surfing career, Karina Petroni discovered that all of her earnings and assets had suspiciously vaporised. Karina was born and raised in the Panama Canal Zone, but is known as one of The East Coast's surf prodigies. In 2006, the New York Times called her one of the “scions of Florida's recent surfing tradition."Karina’s promise for professional surfing, combined with her family’s investment in managing her career, was so great that she was earning a living from surfing as a ten year old. Kar...2022-11-031h 28
Waterpeople PodcastGwyn Haslock: First LadyGwyn Haslock has nearly 6 decades of surfing under her belt. She was born in Cornwall in 1945, and is renowned as one of the UK’s original surfers. Gwyn holds many competitive surfing accolades, including multiple British National Champion titles.We first heard about – and wrote about -- Gwyn’s story in 2015 after connecting with English bellyboarding enthusiast Sally Parkin, who said: “I am not sure who you would say started Men’s competitive surfing – but there is no doubt in my mind that Gwyn Haslock started women’s stand up surfing in England – she entered the first ever Brit...2022-11-0337 min
Waterpeople PodcastChelsea Woody: Cultivating KinshipFor many, 2020 was the worst. Chelsea Woody, a neuroscience nurse who moonlights as a Vans surf ambassador, is clear that it was “the worst year of her life.” After getting COVID from work, and subsequently experiencing a painful loss, — while witnessing the suffering of so many through the pandemic - Chelsea wished (for the first time) that she’d chosen a different profession.Parallel to the suffering both personal and all around her, Chelsea’s surfing career blossomed: she made the film Sea Us Now, and expanded the organisation she helped found, Textured Waves, interjecting the presence an...2022-08-261h 21
Waterpeople PodcastJack Johnson: Time, Dreams & The HeartIn Greek myth, staring at the monster Medusa would turn mortals to stone; one needed a mirror to take the edge off. Surfer, filmmaker and musician Jack Johnson reckons music and art can play a similar role in reflecting more digestible, less paralysing iterations of the ills and obstacles facing us all. Jack studied film at UCSB, and went on to make culture shaping movies like Thicker Than Water and A Broke down Melody. More recently, he’s a Grammy nominated artist, and founder of two charitable foundations with his wife and business partner Kim, including the Johnso...2022-08-1056 min
Waterpeople PodcastKshisya Tachanskaya: Gifting Good DaysWhat if your homeland was suddenly the target of foreign attacks ? What would you do? Ukrainian Kshisya Tachanskaya fled with her two children, a few belongings, reluctantly kissed her husband farewell, and drove for a familiar coast -- some 4000km away (2500 miles). Kshisya is part of Ukraine’s tight knit surfing community who enjoy the couple of windswells that the Black Sea delivers each year. Before she found surfing, Kshisya was a water skier, and later opened Kyiv’s CitySwell Club, and worked as a wake surf instructor.Shortly after her arrival in Portuga...2022-07-2940 min
Waterpeople PodcastTom Wegener: The Artisan's WayUnlike golf clubs and tennis racquets, surfboards are still largely made by local artisans. But, what sets the surfboard making industry apart from parallel industries? Why do local shapers still make boards? Master shaper Tom Wegener examines this question -- and much more -- in his PhD thesis and book Surfboard Artisans: For the Love. "How can an industry which values passion over money be resilient and sustainable in a capitalistic society which has money as the primary value?," he asks, and goes on the elucidate how commitment to culture has made for an exceptionally resilient...2022-07-071h 23
Waterpeople PodcastTom Wegener: Part 2Part Two of our meandering conversation with master shaper Tom Wegener talking the nitty gritty of board construction, how he almost got the call to be in The Endless Summer II, experimenting with ancient techniques in the shaping bay and which mode of wave riding is stoking him out the most right now. ...Tom started shaping and glassing in 1978 in his parents garage and is best known for helping to re-popularize old and ancient Hawaiian surfcraft, as celebrated in films like Thomas Campbell’s The Present, Nathan Oldfield’s Seaworthy, Jack McCoy’s A Deeper Shade of...2022-07-0733 minWaterpeople PodcastWelcome to Season FourWaterpeople is back with a fourth season of stories about the aquatic experiences that shape us, change us, and call us into this quirky community of water folk across the globe. This season we'll hear from 16 waterpeople - some globally renowned, others under appreciated - and learn about the moments that changed everything. In this episode we sit down for a catch up with our new sponsor this season Sunbutter Skincare. Founders Tom and Sacha talk us through why they, as a marine biologist and conservation ecologist, started a business, and how protecting people and th...2022-06-2155 min
Waterpeople PodcastSam Bloom: Gravity & BuoyancyWhat happens when life calls you to face your fears? Surfer, adventurer and mother of three Sam Bloom had to face that call after a 2013 family holiday went tragically wrong. Sam is a two-time world para surfing champion. She is the bestselling author of two books, and the subject of the 2020 film Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts. Those three works detail the tragic accident that left Sam paralysed from the chest down, and the unexpected guest – an injured magpie in need of care -- who helped Sam rehabilitate and regain a deeper sense of herself again. Sa...2022-06-211h 08Waterpeople PodcastCommitted to QuestionsTo wrap up the third season, Lauren and Dave turn the mic on one another for a meandering chat through surf adventure stories, common questions from listeners, and their own answers to the central Waterpeople question about a time or experience after which you were never the same. We'll be back with a stacked fourth season in May or June, full of fresh stories, inspiring ideas, and plenty of laughs. If you have a spare moment, please consider leaving a review of the podcast or sharing an episode with a friend – both help us to find...2022-02-281h 27
Waterpeople PodcastFergal Smith: GroundedWhat is enough to move you to action? For heavy water specialist Fergal Smith, nuclear meltdown became the impetus for a radical shift in life and livelihood. As the founder of Moy Hill farm, Fergal and his team aim to “grow worthy food, build soil, regenerate systems, plant flowers and trees, and work to leave what is in their care healthier than they found it," while also nurturing community. Fergal talks us beyond the romanticisation of farming, and into the muddy complexity of what it means to grow food for one's community, --- and why it...2022-01-191h 23
Waterpeople PodcastAcknowledging Pain & A Living Legacy with Gumbayngirr / Yaegl artist Mick LaurieWhat is lost when a language perishes? What becomes of a language on the edge of extinction ? Artist Mick Laurie is a man of story and culture, who is revitalising the language of his forefathers by making the first ever modern music in Gumbayngirr, using words spoken by his ancestors for tens of thousands of years. Mick, a Gumbayngirr / Yaegl musician and storyteller, is based near the mouth of the Clarence River in Northern NSW, Australia, where his forefathers have lived and cared for country since time immemorial. Mick carries on this ancient and living tradition of oblig...2021-12-081h 08
Waterpeople PodcastJohn Florence: Navigating EdgesOlympian and two-time surfing World Champion John John Florence masterfully navigates the edges of flying and falling. Riding big waves and sailing at high speed around the Hawaiian Islands are amongst his most instructive and inspiring moments. Seen as the most technically gifted surfer on the planet right now, John has the eyes of the surfing world focused on everything he does. His broad ranging interests -- from beekeeping to photography to science fiction -- are cracking the mold of what it looks like to be a competitive surfer. In the tradition of Hawaiian watermen, John has em...2021-11-251h 17
Waterpeople PodcastRegenerating Reefs with Gator Halpern of CORAL VITAWe’ve already lost 50% of Earth’s coral reefs. It's estimated that 90% will be gone by 2050 at the current pace of destruction. Coral Vita just built the world’s first commercial land-based coral farm for reef restoration in The Bahamas. They are regenerating reef systems with innovative methods that expedite the growth rate of corals, and allow for self-selection of the most resilient species to warming and acidifying conditions. Gator Halpern co-founded Coral Vita as a way to take practical steps toward protecting the otherworldly underwater-scapes he experienced as a young diver. His team recently won the 2021-11-1747 min
Waterpeople PodcastSachi Cunningham: Thriving On ChaosIn 2011, Sachi Cunningham quit her dream job and her psychiatric medication ( for Bipolar 1 ) in search of a deeper sense of wellbeing in daily relationship with the ocean. She and her partner hit the road for what became a 14-month-long road trip across the Americas along the Pacific from LA to Chile. Today, Sachi is an award winning documentary filmmaker, photographer, journalist, and Professor at San Francisco State University. She recently released the film CRUTCH, which chronicles the gravity defying life of Bill Shannon, an internationally renowned artist, breakdancer and skate punk—on crutches.Parallel to her...2021-11-081h 25
Waterpeople PodcastHow to Change A Mind with Louie PsihoyosLouie Psyhoiyos is an Academy- Award winning filmmaker and Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society. He makes movies that ignite and galvanise movements to protect the planet , including The Cove, Racing Extinction, and Game Changers. The Oceanic Preservation Society uses film, photography, and social media – one “exposure” at a time – to inspire, empower, and connect a global community of activists fighting to protect our fragile planet.Louie's most recent film is Mission: Joy -- finding happiness in troubled times, which explores the remarkable friendship between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. ...2021-10-251h 14
Waterpeople PodcastDaize & Aamion Goodwin: A Holy PauseThe living world moves in pulses, defined equally by motion and pause. As waterpeople, we know this. Daize & Aamion Goodwin are a couple of exceptional surfers who have taken to applying the philosophy of the pause to daily life as a family.Daize is a two time world longboard champion and Aamion made a successful career as a multi-faceted waterman renowned for his casual approach to Pipeline and other waves of consequence. Now in their 17th year of marriage, with three wildlings, Daize and Aamion have become known for their freerange approach to parenting while mai...2021-10-111h 05
Waterpeople PodcastSurfers for Climate Action Now with Belinda BaggsCo-founder of Surfers for Climate and iconic waterwoman Belinda Baggs shares her story of taking action on what she sees as the greatest threat to her son's health and wellbeing: climate change. Belinda shares a cornucopia of solutions for getting involved today; from everyday changes we can all make, to applying systemic pressure for legislative change. We talk through the critical importance of the dual and intertwined challenges of ecological and social justice, while acknowledging the "surf addiction" that shapes and guides daily life. .....Presented by Patagonia Learn more about Surfers fo...2021-10-0148 min
Waterpeople PodcastTaki Gold: Scar GazingHe fled from civil war on foot as a six year old, physically unscathed, but forever changed by the unthinkable violence, rhythms, and energy of Liberia's internal conflict. After making his home in California, Taki Gold set out to transform the dark relationship he’d once had with the ocean by taking up surfing. Along the way, he's grown into a multi-faceted artist and musician. Taki's latest album Girl God is a testament to the women who carried him through the horrors of war. Content warning: please make sure that you’re in the right headspace to listen...2021-09-211h 11
Waterpeople PodcastNature as the Third Parent with psychologist Robin GrilleWhat does the way we treat children say about who we are as individuals, and as a culture? Our guest, psychologist and father Robin Grille, believes that parents and teachers are amongst the most powerful agents for social change. We meander through stories about finding flow in parenting, moving away from the power-over paradigm, how colonialism has historically guided parenting norms, and the inherited trauma that most of us are called to unravel as adults or parents. Robin Grille has been in private practice as a psychotherapist, relationship counsellor and parent coach for 30 years. He is...2021-09-031h 32
Waterpeople PodcastJack McCoy: Life & BreathSeven years ago, an episode of breathlessness after bodysurfing -- and subsequent health challenges (including a 15% chance of survival) -- shook up Jack McCoy's single-minded focus on filmmaking. Jack has crafted 25 feature films. From his 1976 debut Tubular Swells, to the contrasting narratives of Blue Horizon, and the historical themes of A Deeper Shade of Blue, Jack’s films have documented shifting surf cultures and bolstered many young men’s surfing careers. In his attempt to make art rather than simply document performance, Jack collaborated with musicians like Paul Mccartney, innovated cinematic approaches, and elevated the surf fi...2021-08-2656 min
Waterpeople PodcastChanging the Visuals with RHONDA HARPERRhonda Harper is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, and founder of the NGO Black Girls Surf, which creates access opportunities for black and brown women and girls to experience surfing. Black Girls Surf is fostering a new generation of recreational and professional surfers through international training camps, while pushing back on exclusive surf media. Parallel to Black Girls Surf, Rhonda is working to further develop professional surfing in Africa , by dreaming up an African Triple Crown: a series of professional surfing events to highlight indigenous surfers. Her mission is to continue diversifying the visuals of su...2021-08-121h 13