When everything is taken from you at once, what is left?

Shaun Tomson is the 1977 World Surfing Champion, the author of Surfer's Code, and a keynote speaker whose work has reached Harvard, Google, Disney, and SEAL teams. He was shaped by his upbringing in South Africa, by the pro tour's formative years, and by the loss of his son Matthew at fifteen years old.

In this conversation, Shaun connects surfing to faith and prayer through his Jewish heritage and his mother's World War II survival story. He names the overlooked women who shaped the timeline, and walks us through the design revolutions he watched, and helped, unfold. He's direct about what over-commercialism did to the industry he helped build, and why the tube is still a sacred space.

He also shares the leadership work he's known for today: The Code, a twelve-line writing practice built on the words "I will," now used by students, prisons, sports teams, and executives at some of the world's largest corporations.

Shaun holds a Master of Science in Leadership from Northeastern University. He co-produced the documentary Bustin' Down the Door and is an inductee in the US, Jewish, and South African Sports Halls of Fame.

Here, he helps us recenter the significance of one of surfing's most central concepts: stoke.

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Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich

Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander

Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll

Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray + Ben J Alexander

Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring

Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast

...

Thanks to our generous sponsors this season:

Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet

Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise

The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life

Sodii: hydration for salty humans

...

Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

Have you had someone believe in your potential before you could see it yourself?

Laura Crane is a big wave surfer from North Devon. She came of age in a surf industry that measured her worth by how much exposure her image could earn. Laura stepped away from pro surfing in her early twenties, took a turn at reality TV, then returned to surfing whole-heartedly when a mentor called out something she'd never fully faced.

Laura set her sights on heavy water. She is the first British woman to surf Nazaré.

We dialled in to connect with Laura where she’s now based in Portugal, where she is currently recovering from knee surgery. She told us about grappling with disordered eating, what it feels like to be amongst some of the heaviest water in the world, and how she’s helping others to befriend fear for personal growth.

She speaks with a kind of full-circle purpose about the film she recently starred in and produced, called Undercurrents. It follows a young surfer whose aspirations Laura wanted to protect and nurture, and what it felt like for Laura to be the adult in the room this time. The film toured the UK to sold-out screenings.

At the surface it's a conversation about big wave surfing and recovery, but the subtext is all about trust: in the body, in a mentor, and in the ocean’s power to both humble and elevate.

Send us Fan Mail

...

Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich

Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander

Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll

Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray + Ben J Alexander

Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring

Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast

...

Thanks to our generous sponsors this season:

Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet

Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise

The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life

Sodii: hydration for salty humans

...

Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

Who has the right to speak on behalf of water? Who carries that responsibility?

Drawing on her lineage of wayfinders and traditional music makers, Whaia regularly takes the stage of international political gatherings – like the United Nations Climate Summit – to invoke the voice of water.

She is a Māori vocalist, surfer, multi-instrumentalist, and cultural producer whose work moves between the sacred and the political, the intimate and the global. Born on the East Coast of Aotearoa and raised from age six amongst the rich red earth of Australia's Pilbara, she shares the journey of finding belonging in both worlds.

As a member of A Wisdom Keepers Delegation, Whaia collaborates with a network of global Indigenous elders who attend COP annually to bring the voice of nature into policy conversations.

Whaia reveals the housing instability that led to her current home: the Mana Waka, a 40-foot bus she and her family built from the chassis up. It is a collaborative space used as studio, classroom, and creative hub.

As a mother of three, Whaia continues to follow the instruments that find her and to reclaim the languages that were always hers.

The message that echoes throughout: don't be selfish with your voice. Share it.

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Surfers for Climate is hosting the 3rd annual Waterwomen Camp Out this September 11th to 13th, on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers.

Whaia will be sharing her sonic weaving and wisdom - live.

Secure your tickets + use code 'waterpeople' for $50 off your booking.

Send us Fan Mail

...

Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich

Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander

Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll

Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray + Ben J Alexander

Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring

Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast

...

Thanks to our generous sponsors this season:

Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet

Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise

The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life

Sodii: hydration for salty humans

...

Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.