A working life of creativity can feel out of reach for so many of us, the type of thing that the lucky few get to do, whilst the rest of us have ‘normal jobs’. But there is another way too, and that’s to just go out and create, and see if that can somehow become your job over time. Clare Ventham is one of those people. 

Clare is the producer of HotPipe Hillbillies, a fantastic documentary about my local surf spot near Brighton, The Hotpipes (also fondly called the Shitpipes). The surprise, given the quality of the film, is that Clare is a first time producer, and her normal day job is as a SEN teacher. 

Clare has clearly had a fire lit inside her since the experience (despite it being a harrowing 2 years that coincided with the team balancing their day jobs, Clare being pregnant for the second time and much more); and is keen to now translate this experience to new films and storytelling (one of which we are partnering on which is incredibly exciting). 

We talk about:

• The origination for the film & how it connected her to the surf community when she couldn’t surf (she was pregnant when the plans began)
• The importance of inclusivity in the sea
• The transition from teacher to producer
• Her first surf experience (and why it was a shocker)
• Motherhood & surfing and the supportive mates who make it happen
• Hobbies like sea fishing & why surfing & fishing both provide a reset
• Having a kick ass mum as a role model

It’s a lovely interview, showing that you can pursue any creative goal you choose, as long as you’re willing to work hard at it.

I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think

—----

Presenter: Caroline Keylock 

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Supporting women in the surfing space isn’t new to Bella, she saw the issue of a lack of visibility of women at all levels of surfing early on, and she’s sought to re-address the balance through her photography and beyond (and if you take a listen to the interview, there’s a reveal about a big leap she’s made at the magazine which will become public shortly).

We talk about this inequality and much more in the interview:

• Bella’s journey into surfing & finding her people
• Getting her break into publishing
• Burning out & talking openly about mental health
• Developing boundaries as a freelance creative 
• Living an unconventional life and her future plans 

Presenter: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with surfing? 

Lindsey is an ex dancer, turned physiotherapist, turned part-time fashion influencer, turned full-time (very successful) fashion influencer. And then everything changed on one retreat, a retreat she’d gone on to get over a relationship ending, and a new love emerged: surfing.

I think we all recognise that feeling when we first fall in love with a board sport. It’s genuinely like meeting someone new, you can’t get enough of them, they take up your every thought, you re-organise your life around that new relationship. And so it was for Lindsey as she began to travel around the world to learn to surf in new destinations, bringing her significant instagram audience on the journey with her. 

That new feeling of love with the sport ended up being the essence of her business, Marnie Rays, a surf lifestyle brand that hosts retreats all around the world, bringing women on that same journey into the sport (albeit in fairly luxurious surrounds). 

We cover:

• Lyndsey’s multi-lane career landing in the world of surfing
• The founding journey of Marnie Rays
• Why surfing is such a release for mid-life women
• Moving to cornwall and hosting global retreats
• The importance of positive self-talk
• Surfing and anxiety and being humbled by the ocean

I hope you enjoy this one! Let me know what you think!

____________

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Presenter: Caroline Keylock 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whilst Inessa’s films on instagram show the beautiful waters of Hawaii, she’s actually originally from Ukraine, an unlikely surf girl destination. What feels more unlikely is that she spent 8 years in Hawaii before turning to surfing at 50, an event that came about after she was divorced and seeking new freedoms.

She didn’t find it easy, but she stuck with it, describing it as ‘opening up her life’. She started a facebook group with Lisa, as a way to seek out people who were surfers in the same age bracket, and the two were surprised that it grew at pace. The group is closed, if you’re not 50 you’re not coming in, but the Instagram account @sassysilversurfers has acted as a route for surfers who aspire to be surfing in their 50’s, but who aren’t there quite yet, to find a route into the community.

Inessa is now hell bent on demonstrating that women in their 50’s and beyond an do anything they want, through the lens of the inspiring stories of the women in the community.

We cover:

• The story of Sassy Silver Surfers coming to life
• Why prioritising yourself is an essential practice
• Surfing post Divorce
• Why 50+ women are so surfing obsessed
• Belonging in the line-up 

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Presenter: Caroline Keylock 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first woman to stand up paddle from coast to coast in the UK, Jo first came on the Board Women podcast two years ago, talking about how this challenge had transformed her life at a time when she needed it most. She described periods of being on the bathroom floor crying, her relationship having ended, and how paddleboarding had brought her joy, challenge and a new found confidence, which she later applied to learning to skateboard in her late 50’s. 

Two years later, Jo’s coast to coast challenge has proved instrumental in changing her entire existence. She is now a 3 x author, having released two SUP guides, but more recently launching her book ‘Adventures on The Water: the Power of Paddleboarding to Change Lives’. It’s a collection of stories from people talking about their relationship with Paddleboarding and the water more generally, and it spans from aspirational adventures like Brendon Prince navigating the entire British coastline, to Caz Dawson’s amazon expedition, to Karthy Marston’s SUP yoga classes. 

Jo has also released short films, the latest one having debuted at Kendal Mountain Festival, ‘Skinny’ charting her first experience of skinny dipping outdoors, in her sixties. 

Whether planned or not, Jo has become the poster child of embracing joy in later life, and a key theme to our conversation is the need for more positive stories of this chapter. The interview covers: 

• The life changing influence of her adventure
• The story behind her new book 
• Why taking care of yourself in menopause is essential
• The need for a more positive view of our next chapter 
• Why more accessible role models are important 
• Skinny Dipping in your 60’s (and being on the big screen naked) 
• Finding freedom in the idea that no-one thinks about you 

Jo also talks about two amazing women that we’ve been lucky enough to interview before on the show - Gemma Palmer Dighton, and Sam Metcalfe. 

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

https://weareboardwomen.substack.com/

Ep 11. Brave enough to take the next step

https://www.jomoseley.com/

https://www.instagram.com/jomoseley/?hl=en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

However, more recently Eliza has become known for covering her own journey into the world of skateboarding, and translating some of that analysis of gender barriers to this new space. I’ve really enjoyed following her content about visiting new parks for the first time, and highlighting some of the internal narrative we all have that can, at times, get in our way. 

What I didn’t know was that there had been a blip in Eliza’s journey. She had been called out by someone who was a well known male figure in the skateboarding scene, who stitched one of her social films, and eviscerated her in the process. The content went viral, but not only did it affect her in the online space, it started to creep into the real world. 

It resulted in Eliza beginning to question whether she should create this type of content at all. In some ways it positively reframed her relationship with the sport, and rather than professionalising her journey, running events and creating content, she embraced the pure joy of the journey. However, it’s clear the impact is still relatively raw, and it’s frustrating that anyone has to deal with this kind of harassment online. 

We cover this (the first time she’s spoken about it online) and so much more: 

• Her journey into skateboarding (and more recently surfing) 
• Finding a more mindful relationship with skateboarding 
• The journey of building Cheer Up Luv 
• Photographic Essays with collective Transkaters London
• Developing positive self talk and your own journey of progression

Eliza is super self deprecating, but I really recommend her skateboarding content when it does appear, it’s doing a great job of breaking down barriers in this space. Her social accounts are below if you want to find out more

—--------

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi 

https://weareboardwomen.substack.com

https://www.instagram.com/elizahatch/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/cheerupluv/?hl=en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite all of that, it’s her role as a vocal ambassador for women in the sport that really stands out for me. She has created events and platforms to accelerate women in snowboarding, but that focus peaked in the last year with the release of her film, ‘Butterfly in a Blizzard’. 

Initially created to chart her journey into motherhood as a professional snow athlete, the film resulted in covering five years of Kimmy’s life as she navigates the birth of her first child, the death of her mother, childhood trauma that came to the fore as she embarked on motherhood herself; and later (as if this wasn’t all enough), advanced breast cancer resulting in a double mastectomy. 

It’s a film that makes you question just how much one person is capable of overcoming, but what really connected with me was that it is the most honest portrayal of navigating parenting as working parents that I’ve seen on screen. Kimmy is articulate and humble, and I loved talking with her. 

In this episode we cover: 

• Being at the peak of her career and finding out she was pregnant 
• Choosing to stand up to sponsors to ensure they supported her contractually
• Deciding to publicly portray the real story of parenthood + being a professional athlete
• The film evolving to cover more than they ever expected as a family 
• Why she chose an all female crew to bring the film to life 
• Navigating cancer & family & choosing to come back to snowboarding 

And so much more. This one is searingly honest, and it sucker punched me more than once as it chimed with my own experiences of parenthood, I hope you enjoy it. 

—--------

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi 

https://weareboardwomen.substack.com

Find more on Kimmy here: https://www.instagram.com/kimmyfasani/

Watch the film here: https://www.butterflyinablizzard.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of my favourite things about board sports is the people you meet, but I hadn’t realised when I started this community that it would lead me back to someone I was friends with 15 years ago.

Emylia was then ‘Mimi’, the very cool girlfriend of the best friend of my boyfriend at the time, an effortless snowboarder cruising down the mountain as I struggled to deal with the flat spots on the mountain.

Fast forward to now, and reading an article in The Guardian written by Emylia Hall, author of the best-selling Cornwall based mystery series ‘The Shellhouse Detectives’, talking about the power of taking up skateboarding in your 40’s, and I realise they are one and the same person:

“As a “later skater”, what I’ve come to realise is that everything seems impossible until you try it. Every minuscule achievement, every incremental progression, feels epic, and each experience hard-won. There’s a lesson in that.” - Emylia Hall, The Guardian, June 2024

Emylia is on a strict writing schedule, having been commissioned for 7 books in the series she is writing, and skating provides a much needed escape for her brain. We haven’t written much on Board Women about the connection between skateboarding and creativity, but they are clearly intertwined.

“A lot of writing is about trying stuff and just exploring different avenues, trying different things with characters, trying things with plot, seeing what happens and when it doesn’t work, just rewriting and rewriting. I’m having to find a new way of working, and I’ve got a new routine because of that. But what that means is desk time is really intense, and so I really cherish the time that I get away from the desk, and skateboarding is absolutely my release.”

Board Sports provide that elusive escape for your brain that so many of us crave in mid life. The life jenga that we deal with on a daily basis (Mimi has a son, coaches other writers, and also runs an organisation called The Mother Ship, encouraging mothers to be writers) needs an outlet, and board sports hit the spot in a way that no other sports can.

This interview is a true ode to the wonder of skateboarding, its relationship to the creative process, and what it is to accept the status of being a beginner again in your 40’s. We cover:

• Emylia’s journey into snowboarding, and several seasons on the mountain

• Lockdown and skateboarding and being an ‘unlikely skateboarder’

• The uphill learning curve of being a beginner (and how amazing it is)

• Starting The Mothership and getting mums to believe in themselves

• Her skateboarding future & what success means now

It’s a warm, inviting hug of an interview, I hope you love this one.

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

https://weareboardwomen.substack.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ask anyone who their favourite figure in female skateboarding is and Lucy Adams will normally get a mention. Not just because of her history of winning competitions, and latterly her role in presenting at global skateboarding events such as the Olympics, but because of the work she has done in giving women access to the sport, and her appreciation of the cultural importance of skateboarding overall. 

In her role at skateboard GB, she’s helping to entrench skateboarding as a philosophy, emphasising the connection and playfulness it offers, at a time when the world is focused on the competitive side of the sport. She’s focused on young people appreciating that their journey through the sport can be so much more than competitive achievement, especially at a formative time in their lives, given that many of the top skateboarders average out at age 14. 

We’ve tried to make this podcast work for a while now, but what was fantastic about the opportunity to finally chat to local girl (she lives up the road and is originally from Horsham) Lucy, was understanding more about the challenges she’s faced as a mum alongside her love of skateboarding. 

It’s challenging full stop for sports people ageing out of competition and finding their route through the sport (we saw the same challenge with Jenny Jones, olympic snowboarder, in our interview here). Add to this parenting two small people and finding the time to still get out; alongside ageing and your body not being quite as responsive as it used to be; and skateboarding (in the way you want to) becomes perennially difficult. 

Lucy is known as much for her own skateboarding prowess as she is for opening up the sport for others. Events like Push the Prom and groups like She Shredders were some of the first in the UK to really bring skateboarding to new audiences, and paved the path for the many micro-communities that exist today to bring people into the sport. 

This is a conversation that makes you realise we’re all experiencing the same parenting challenges, and ageing humps, whether we are professional sports people, or not. We cover: 

• How Lucy got into skateboarding (and pretending to her parents she was swimming)
• The importance of active parental role models 
• Prioritising the things that give you energy as a parent
• Creating a space for women and girls to skate
• The Cultural Capital of Skateboarding 
• Finding your own route to progression 

Enjoy! And please do share, the more we build the audience for the podcast, the more fantastic guests like Lucy we can get on the show. 

We'll be back in September with our next episode which features Emylia Hall, author of the popular Shell House Detectives series, keen skateboarder and snowboarder, talking about the importance of board sports and her creative process. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss it! 

Caroline 

Board Women Founder

—-----------

Host: Caroline Keylock 

Producer: Selma Chalabit 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amy Scott-Pillow and Emily Jones, the founders of @weskatesoton are a living, breathing example of this truth. Since starting this female led, open to all, skateboarding community in 2021, the pair have become inseparable, often mistaken for being a couple. 

One of the challenges of opening up board sports to all communities, is whether to make them closed off, gated environments for that community, or whether this makes the problem worse. The @weskatesoton crew have managed to bridge this divide perfectly, creating a welcoming space, online and off, for people to embrace the fun of skateboarding, and find their own place in the culture. 

The community is now an official CIC, and they have run events like their recent exhibition and film ‘We Skate, We Vibe’, showing that skating isn’t just a sport, it’s a form of play and self-expression. 

This conversation explored so many topics from the very personal (Emily’s journey with breast cancer and going into early menopause) to the contrast between real life experiences of male skaters (always positive) and their online experiences (somewhat abhorrent). 

We cover: 

• How We Skate Soton came to life 
• Making a Skateboarding Documentary
• Dealing with Skateboarding Trolls (positively) 
• Skateboarding x Breast Cancer x Menopause
• The Wonders of The Bert Slide 
• Stepping away from Instagram 

And one final bit of advice from the ladies if you’re just starting out in the world of skateboarding, 

“Everyone was a beginner at some point. Everyone will remember that feeling of first stepping on a board and being like, oh my god, what am I doing? I'm stepping on a plank of wood with wheels on. What is this?”

—--------------

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Thursday 15 May 2025, we brought a brilliant panel of women together to discuss just this, as part of Mental Health Awareness week:

@ram_scorchskateschool - skate coach who credits skateboarding for giving her mental space 

@fortyandpushing - jacquie is a skater who took it up later in life & believes the sensory side helps regulate our systems 

@lisabaxter_ part of the leadership of @theboardmumsclub and has used skateboarding to navigate life working in trauma and safeguarding, as well as dealing with family illness

@India from @resurfaceuk - psychologist who runs surf retreats that combine surfing + therapy 

@surfconfidencecoach Danni who helps surfers find their joy 

This was the second of our Confidence Sessions, and the conversation included:

• personal stories

• how we can feel addicted to this new source of joy

• why community is the unlock to trauma

• how we are all seeking mental escape

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

weareboardwomen.substack.com

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What you may not know if you follow her, is that Sam was the UK windsurfing champion for 8 years. And competed in the world championships - an astonishing fact that came out in our conversation. Humble, and yet focused and determined to achieve the goals she sets herself, Sam is truly admirable. This is one not to miss, and there’s plenty of Northern humour thrown in. 

Episode highlights

• Sam’s love of the outdoors and adventure instilled by her dad. 

• Her younger days as a wind surfer, and becoming a champion.

• Taking up surfing and skating in later life, and sharing the passion with her sons. 

• The story of the mini ramp in the garden.

• “Mad woman of Saltburn” - skating round her home town at 5am when she was first learning.

• Finding her “fountain of youth”.

More about Sam:

@surfin.sam 

@justolderskate.sam

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

weareboardwomen.substack.com

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This event was recorded on zoom and took place on Thursday 27 March 2025. It included a stellar line up of women to talk all things injury: how it affects you, how to come back from it physically, emotionally and mentally:

Emily from @moceanfit: online training & wellness for women learning board sports in 30's and beyond

Danni Unway aka @surfconfidencecoach: Danni helps people feel more confidence and joy in surfing & come back from trauma

Shannon Dunlap aka @skaterlifeisrad: mum, massage therapist, nurse on a mission to practice and promote safety while learning to skateboard, especially while ageing

Annika Rudolph aka @annikarudolph: team rider for Crown Boards, ambassador for Long Board Girls crew, based Germany

Lizzie Bird aka @lizziebirdmoves: osteopath, author of MOVES, surfer and paddle boarder

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

weareboardwomen.substack.com

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I don’t think people ever ask themselves where there aren’t women in the lineup….it’s a huge conversation that really doesn’t get talked about.”

Sally works hard to explore and combat the issues that keep women out of the sea, including the drop off during motherhood, and she’s helping to build a strong and inclusive surf community in the North East where she’s based. 

Episode highlights

• The importance of learning how to fall safely.

• Yonder - not just an inclusive surf school. The whole approach is different. “We’ve created a blueprint for that kind of service.”

• Giving women the confidence, skills and knowledge to be an integral part of the surf community. 

• Exploring why women stop surfing after motherhood, and how to combat this trend - including finding time, loss of confidence, and the urge to want to be good straightaway. 

• The differences between the skateboarding and surfing communities.

• Coming back from two major injuries - a snapped arm and a lisfranc injury. 

• Keeping life simple - or trying to!

More about Sally:

@sallymcgeesurf

@surfyonder

surfyonder.com

@tombingphoto

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

weareboardwomen.substack.com

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War orphan, skater, academic, campaigner for inclusivity in skateboarding and founder of Respect is Rad, Indigo brings so much to the skating space. 

There’s a lot to talk about in this episode, so grab a cuppa and settle in. 

Episode highlights

• Falling in a bowl jam.

• Indigo’s journey in to skate boarding in her 40s - learning with men.

• Dismantling gates and opening up the world of skate boarding.

• Staying punk through skateboarding - “I’d rather carry a skateboard than a briefcase”.

• Bringing the world of skateboarding in to a university setting.

• The inspiration behind Respect is Rad

• Celebrating progress as older women in skateboarding - staying authentic.

More about Indigo:

@goodwillhunting

@respectisrad

People and groups mentioned in this episode:

Esther Sayers

skateistan.org

Festival Connect

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This was a phenomenally interesting conversation, not least because your assumption would be that brands who are so keen to push their green agenda in the surf space would be on board with the shift to environmentally friendly wetsuit solutions on hearing the news that the production of Neoprene is giving a whole community cancer.

But, despite the team on the film trying to involve many of the central brands in the industry, many of them have simply ignored its message.

There's a lot to get through, so this episode is a bit longer than usual.

Episode highlights:

• The Big Sea - the juxtaposition between the stunning visuals and the hard hitting story

• How the film came about

• The hope to bring brands on board

• “We think we’re activists just because we surf, and we’re not” - overcoming complacency in the surf community

• Demi’s journey in to surfing and how she and her partner Chris came to write iconic surf travel books

• Demi’s role as a mid life woman in the industry

• Starting the London Surf Film Festival and the importance of storytelling in driving change

• Can Caroline find a natural rubber medical cover for her cast?

More about Demi:

@imaybesurfing

@londonsurffilmfest

thebigsea.org

Mentions in this episode:

Looking Sideways with Matt Barr

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights

• Falling - not on a board, but holding a baby!

• The impact of the financial crash on snow sports and sponsorship. 

• Being at one's peak and unexpectedly reaching for a new peak - the call from Team GB about slopestyle being in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

• Recovering from concussion and still making it to the Olympics at the age of 33…and smashing it. 

• Sharing the joy of being on a snow and surf board with ‘bump’.

• The bliss of becoming a mum at 43, despite being called geriatric.

• Jenny’s surf journey and moving to Devon to do more surfing. 

• Setting up snowboarding workshops and retreats that focus on mindset as well as board skills. 

• It’s time to get back on a skateboard and finally get that 'rock to fakie’.

More about Jenny:

@jennyjonessnow

workshopbyjennyjones.com

ThankUSnowboarding podcast - episode with Jenny Jones

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two years have now gone by and they are both hooked. They now have a considerable following on instagram as @2girlssk8 

Britt says of her mum Kaz:

“I got my first kick flip because of my mum, and I still tell myself something she tells me. The phrase she said to me was ‘knees up buttercup’ because I just wasn’t bringing my knees up. So now in my head I’ve just got ‘knees up buttercup, knees up buttercup’.”

The conversation is full of energy and a commitment to help each other learn, which is really magical and beautiful to listen in on.  

Episode highlights:

• Getting in to skating together as adults and as a mum and daughter duo.

• Overcoming fear of judgment.

• Skating and mental health: Kaz on the life saving effect of skating on her levels of anxiety.

• Learning together - the ups and downs.

Groups mentioned in the podcast:

Foenix Cruisers

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography: Clare Keylock

Artwork: Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music: Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights:

• how Yvette became an accidental founder

• how Wave Wahines included mums over time, not just girls

• time for action - why there’s still so much to do for diversity in surfing

• feeling like an imposter + why it’s an advantage

• the WSL decision to be in Abu Dhabi

More about Yvette:

@yvette_cave

@wave_wahines

wavewahines.co.uk

Other guests mentioned in this episode:

Creating a safe space - Merida Miller

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I want other women to know that their joy is valid. The pursuit of their own joy is not only valid, but it’s crucial to having a full, experiential life”.

Lindsey took up skateboarding in her late 40s after a few years of sitting on the sidelines watching her daughter learn and feeling jealous. It was when she saw a video posted by @auntyskates that she realised that the sport could be for her as well. She took a leap of faith by going on a retreat in Costa Rica with @auntyskates, and has never looked back. 

Episode highlights:

• The retreat with @auntyskates in Costa Rica - a week of freedom and joy and girlhood.

• Creating an online presence - finding a community of female skateboarders.

• Dealing with the patriarchy - showing the authentic life of what it is to be a woman.

• In a patriarchal system, female joy is not prioritised, but you can go against this ideology and live a fully explosive, joyful life. 

• Dealing with trolls - pushing back. 

• Getting through a very intense traumatic period - coming through and finding beauty in the darkness. 

• Finding the balance between parenting and feeding your own joy.

More about Lindsey:

@hotmomsofskateboarding

Other guests mentioned in this episode:

I feel like I’m flying - Oorbee Roy aka Aunty Skates

Feel the fear and drop in anyway - Esther Sayers

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now she is 60 and retired, she spends much of her time in the skate park. She’s an advocate for pushing a little, taking a few risks, and seeing where it might get you.

“Once you have it in your mind that you know you can do it, doing it is easier. It’s when you don’t think you can do it that you have a problem.”

Episode highlights

• Trying to master backside disasters and falling a lot.

•  Getting in to skateboarding as a child - "my parents got divorced and it was a good distraction".

• Trying out for Vans and getting in to the team.

• Having children early and focussing on being a mum.

• Getting back in to skateboarding at the age of 42, and never looking back. 

• Now 60, retired, and at the skate park all the time, often with friends of all ages.

• Loving the skate parks you used to hate.

• Finding a following on instagram as @oldlady_skater.

• Being diagnosed with ADHD and why skateboarding is good for an ADHD brain - “you have to be present and skateboarding forces you in to that presence".

• Amy's advice: Take a few risks. Put your pads on and try hard things.

More about Amy Bradshaw:

@oldlady_skater

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Is the woman leading or is she following? Is she on a big wave or is she on a smaller wave? It’s being aware of biases that we’ve internalised around how women are represented, and trying to challenge them.”

Episode highlights:

• Surfing dressed as a carrot at the Finisterre summer party.

• Bronwen’s journey into surfing in her late 30s.

• Growing up on a ski mountain and learning at the age of 2.

• Being one of the only female snowboarders, and becoming a coach.

• Finding a love of the sea later in life

• Why women are becoming strong and how Finisterre shoots for the female gaze

More about Bronwen:

@bronwenfb

@finisterre

finisterre.com

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She says of that experience:

“I got on it and I absolutely loved it - the feeling of flying and doing this thing that was so difficult and so dangerous, but so rewarding. A light went on and that was it, I was hooked.”

Sarah went on to become a skate coach and eventually founded @brighton_girls_skate_club. Her mission is to show girls and women that skateboarding can be for them.

Episode highlights

• Growing up in a world where girls and women didn’t skate and where there was no encouragement to do so.

• First experience of the ‘buzz of the board’ - on a snow board.

• Moving to Bali and photographing skateboarders at Pretty Poison nightclub.

• Learning to skate board back in the UK - “I was pretty addicted from the off”. 

• Learning to coach on the ‘Get Rolling’ scheme alongside pros such as Lucy Adams and dealing with imposter syndrome. 

• Sharing the passion - teaching girls to skateboard at Brighton Girls School and founding a skate school.

More about Sarah Brownlow:

@sarah_brownlow

sarahbrownlow.com

@brighton_girls_skate_club

Becoming a coach:

SkateboardGB Get Rolling Coaching Course

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Gemma began to get in to paddling she struggled to find representation of black paddlers, and she’s determined to change that. 

Gemma has done some incredibly hardcore paddle races including the Great Glen (92km), and has set up an entire SUP community #SUPHuntingdon to bring people together around the sport.

Episode highlights

• The beauty of being on a board in nature.

• How turning to SUP to rehabilitate an injury, sparked a passion for competing in the sport.

• Becoming a #Shepaddles ambassador with a mission to broaden representation.

• Building community around SUP.

• Getting out of a tight spot during the Great Glen.

More about Gemma Palmer-Dighton:

@getgemma

Groups and races Gemma mentions:

@paddleuk

@greatglenchallenge

Trent 100

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Five inspirational women, all of whom are passionate about board sports, share their innermost stories and tips about confidence: having it, losing it, re-gaining it and holding on to it - all through the prism of being on a board.

Featuring:

• Sarah Brounlow
• Sam Hadad 
• Gemma Palmer-Dighton
• Danni Unway
• Nicky Woodhouse

This panel kicks off a new series of events that Board Women will be putting on across the country - The Confidence Sessions. 

We’ll be looking for panel members to be part of these future events, so if you’re an instructor, someone who runs a community, someone who took these sports up later in life, or a confidence/women’s health specialist, and you fancy taking part in a Confidence Session, contact us @boardwomen.

More about Tremula:

Special thanks to Francesca Turauskis of the Tremula Network for hosting Board Women at this year's Tremula Festival.

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights

• Marianne's love of fitness & how it inspires confidence

• Changing attitudes to age and activity

• Bringing women together through community

• Why coaches have a responsibility to inspire & support

• Her F**k you response to the snowboard coach who told her she was too old!

More about Marianne:

@marianneclarkpt

Groups Marianne mentions:

Ocean Set

@ocean.set

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grace is an award winning speaker, author, chief encourager and struggle strategist, and for before joining this chat, she gave skateboarding a go for the first time.

“This thing we call struggle is quite often the place where we learn, where we discover, where we stretch, where we might find something that that we wouldn’t have found otherwise….sometimes it’s not until we find ourselves in struggle that we discover what we’re made of.”

Episode highlights:

• Struggle as the birth place of our best work. 

• Shining a light in the middle of the tunnel, rather than trying to get out of it.

• With curiosity, what are the rich learnings we can glean from our moments of struggle?

• Skateboarding for the first time - the power of invitation to try something new. 

• Understanding the four stages of competence.

• High functioning fear - what is it and how does it limit us?

More about Grace:

gracemarshall.com

@gracemarshallninja

Others mentioned in this chat:

yellowhatskateschool.com

@yellowhatskateschool

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After studying journalism at Bournemouth Uni, where she squeezed in surfing in to her studies wherever she could, she landed a job straight out of college working on Onboard Snowboarding magazine. She helped to launch the magazine online from the mountains of Chamonix. She then did the same for @surfeuropemag from Biarritz.

She is now co-owner of All Conditions Media with Matt Barr of the excellent @welooksideways podcast. 

An avid surfer and snowboarder in her 40s, Jojo is now a mum of two, who knows the reality of juggling roles and finding time to surf.

Having seen the boarding industry evolve over the last 20+ years, she has some unique and fascinating insights to share, particularly on how girls and women fit in. 

Episode highlights:

• Starting out in a male dominated industry: life as a journalist on boarding magazines, and reflections on how the industry has changed and is changing for women.

• Partnering with Matt Barr to create All Conditions Media, a communications company that works with leading brands in outdoor sports

• Fostering a progressive, inclusive working culture in the company, and moving it to a ‘donut’ employee owned model where “everyone with a seat at the table has an equal role to play".

• “Sainsbury’s or surfing?….surfing is the ultimate in self care”.The importance of finding time for oneself to do the thing you love.

• The changing face of board sports: how they’re becoming more inclusive for girls and women. 

• "Sliding sideways well in to our 70s" - you're never too old to try out these sports, but make sure you focus on strength and conditioning too.

More about JoJo:

@jojolecook

All Conditions Media

@allconmedia

Groups JoJo mentions:

Lusty Surf Life Saving Club

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights:

• How Danni combined her love of nature and skateboarding to form the one of a kind @theskateretreat.

• Skateboarding as a teenage girl.

• Why she started @girlskateuk and how her role as a community builder has changed over time. 

• How she’s ‘dug’ into her love of foraging and her new book ‘The Forager’s Almanac’.

• Why women need to break out of gender specific spaces when it comes to skateboarding.

• The growing space of skaters in later life.

More about Danni:

@danniinthewild

@theskateretreat

@girlskateuk

theskateretreat.com

girlskateuk.com

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights:

• How Nessy and Harry came to join forces and co-own Ride On Retreats. How they function as a team.

• Why they came so late to board sports, and the positive effect it is having on their lives and that of their families.

• The importance of family support as you try new things.

• The power of cold water swimming.

• The chair of awareness - Surfers Against Sewage.

• Take the first step - sign up for a lesson.

More about Harry and Nessy:

rideonretreats.com

@rideonretreats

Places and people mentioned in the chat:

Stockwell Skatepark

Yellow Hat Skate School

Surfers Against Sewage

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights:

• Failure is an important part of learning.

• How the Everyday Adventure podcast came about.

• Reframing adventure - What does it bring to you? What’s the feeling you get? It can be found everywhere and in the every day. 

• Finding awe and wonder in the every day.

• Recording the TEDx talk - it wrote itself.

• On being an army officer.

• Developing Resilience At Work - tips and tricks on developing resilience.

• Board Sports and resilience - going just beyond your point of comfort.

• Why women are now coming more to board sports.

• Get started by choosing something you love and starting small.

 More about Nicki:

resilienceatwork.co.uk

insta: @everydayadventurepod

TEDx talk: The Life Changing Power Of Everyday Adventures

Join the Board Women movement: 

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether it be walking mindfully and with awe in your neighbourhood, bird watching, hiking, surfing, or wing walking, the stories in Caroline’s new book are truly inspirational. 

When we’re constantly told that ageing is a slow decline, these stories remind us that as we grow old, and responsibilities may start to fall away, we can have the time of our lives and age in a fulfilling way. 

Episode highlights:

• Falling on a one wheel.

• Tough Broad - a quest to change the narrative of ageing.

• Skateboarding through grief and loss.

• Wing Walking - seeking courage and finding ecstasy. 

• Cultivating awe in your daily life.

• Simply being outside is good for you as you age - the science says so.

• Being in your 60s can be a great time of exploration and adventure. 

• The five drivers of healthy ageing.

More about Caroline:

carolinepaul.com

insta: @carolinembpaul

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a child she'd always wanted to skate, but she didn't want to stand out more than she already did, and so she decided not to. Now in her middle years, she's fully embracing 'dancing' with her board.

Episode highlights:

• Getting in to skateboarding and joining forces with other women - Dorks On Decks

• Growing up queer in a Christian family, and not wanting to stand out more.

• Freedom and energy - "skateboarding makes me a better mum, partner and worker".

• Freestyle skating is like a puzzle of tricks you shove in to one another - the weirder the better.

• Taking part in the European Championships.

• Skateboarding is like dancing.

• The skate community is such a warm and uplifting community - "I totally fit in".

• Cheer for each other and for every single baby step you take.

More about Cornely:

Insta: @raizortail

Groups Cornely mentions:

@dorksondecks

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get on board.

Join the movement.

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host - Caroline Keylock

Producer - Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oorbee is well known for her social media images and videos of flying along on a skateboard in a saree. 

Oorbee began her skating journey in her 40s after deciding she no longer wanted to sit on the sidelines, whilst her husband and children had fun. 

Now almost 50, she has made skateboarding her career, inspiring women around the globe with her teaching, retreats and Tiktok and Instagram posts. 

“I’m so freaking lucky that I get to call myself a skateboarder. This is not what I imagined my life to be at almost 50 years old.”

Enjoy this half hour of infectious energy and enthusiasm, and tell us what you think. 

Episode highlights:

• The journey from being a kid who wasn’t allowed a bike to a women skating huge bowls.

• The unexpected rise to fame through social media posts going viral.

• Skateboarding through grief and loss.

• Coaching and encouraging others.

• Representation and skating.

• When you feel fear, that’s the time to take action.

More about Oorbee:

Insta: @auntyskates

auntyskates.com

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s just like being on top of the world. It’s like breathing out a massive breath. Going up that first chair lift and looking down the mountain, my shoulders drop, there’s relaxation. I just love it.”

She now runs her own snowboarding retreats, and last year ran a surfing one too. She’s also designed her own eyewear.

Episode highlights:

• How @dresslikeamum came about and how it's evolved.

• Zoë's passion for snowboarding & how she's made it work.

• Her board retreats & women trying new things.

• Why as women we sometimes get in our own way.

• How her concept of risk has changed as she's got older.

• Finding confidence in her new sunglasses business.

• Setting boundaries in social media

More about Zoe:

@dresslikeamum

Dress Like A Mum

Zoe De Pass Eyewear

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“When we go out and surf, whatever is happening in our real lives is almost an exaggeration of what is going on in our lives. Because we experience such highs in surf, especially in that honeymoon period, where we catch our first wave, it’s this high we are constantly chasing. And because we’ve felt such a high, we have to experience the lows that go with it; and the higher the highs, the lower the lows. So that is why, in surfing, emotions are so exaggerated, and it’s almost like our capacity to feel grows within surf.”

Episode highlights:

• It's good to fall.

• Finding surfing later in life: “When I found surfing, it became this anchor to who I was as a person….I felt powerful.”

• Surfing is pure presence: ‘When you’re in the flow with the surf and the ocean, it’s pure freedom. Nothing else matters.”

• Running surf confidence coaching workshops.

• Surfing as a relationship cycle

• Beat the inner critic.

• Importance of mindset pre surf

• Regaining confidence post injury / incident

More about Danni:

Insta: @danniunwaytherapy

Danni Unway Therapy

Groups that Danni mentions:

Newquay Women’s Surf Club

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She’s a snowboarding and surfing enthusiast and I love her attitude to seeing everyday as a privilege that she gets to do these sports,

“It’s slightly morbid to say, but with something like snowboarding I’m conscious of how many more days am I going to have on the mountain, in terms of the years you have left in your life, the climate crisis. That sounds like a depressing thought, but I don’t see it as depressing, I see every day on the mountain as a privilege.”

We talk about so much, but I particularly love her focus on continuing to have adventures even when you have a family. It can be easy to let that stuff slide, but life is so much better when you stay fulfilled.

Episode highlights:

• Sam’s ToysRUs skateboard in the 80’s

• Feeling lucky to do these sports at 47

• Being a lifelong intermediate

• The frustration of criticising middle aged women

• Being an adventurous mum

• Getting people to care about the environment

More about Sam:

@samhaddad

Climate and Board Sports

Groups and people Sam mentions:

oceanset.co.uk

@surfersforclimate

protectourwinters.uk

@sophiehellyer

@stephaniegilmore

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She documented the ups and downs of her journey in a beautiful film ‘Brave Enough - A Journey Home to Joy’. Part of her motivation for doing the trip was that she’d lost some of her friends to cancer. Life, she realised, was short and needed to be lived to the max. She has written a book about paddle boarding in Great Britain, and is about to publish a second book about stand-up paddle-boarding in the Lake District . 

More recently, she has taken up skateboarding. 

‘I’ve always wanted to learn to skateboard. I was growing up in the 70s, my brother had a skateboard but ‘girls didn’t skateboard’. There were no skateparks, nowhere to have a lesson. It just wasn’t seen to be a thing that a girl from the north would do. So skateboarding is the thing where I said ‘you can be a beginner, you can invest in some lessons. The minute I went for that first lesson, I loved it.’

Episode highlights:

• Paddle boarding coast to coast - the plan and the reality.

• ‘For the first time in months, I felt like a warrior and not a worrier’.

• The impact of losing friends - honouring their creativity. 

• Going through peri-menopause. 

• Becoming brave - taking the next step, and the next step. 

• Taking up skate boarding - ‘I love being a beginner’. 

More about Jo:

@jomoseley

jomoseley.com

Places that Jo mentions

LS-TEN.org

@LS-TEN Skatepark

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights:

• The psychology of falling.

• Setting up Project Fearless.

• Before Project Fearless - designing snowboarding clothing.

• Being Hype Girl - cheering people on and creating a ripple effect of impact.

• Boosting confidence through learning how to fall and get back up.

• Role models: more women and gender minority coaches are needed.

• Building teams is an important basis for Project Fearless.

• Merida’s story with board sports - “snow boarding is my first and greatest love”.

• Moving to the Netherlands and getting in to skateboarding - Dorks On Decks.

• Mums want to get involved too.

• Creating safe spaces for girls and gender minorities. “School is not necessarily a safe space, so it’s important to have spaces outside of school.” 

• Find your comfort zone and then get a little bit out of it to get in to your growth zone.  

More about Merida

@mercatmiller

@project.fearless

projectfearless.org

Places and groups that Merida mentions:

@dorksondecks

@womenskatetheworld

@skateparknoord

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“7% of commercial directors and women are only 11% of creative directors are women and this is why we still have these lazy outdated stereotypes of women in the commercials and the content we’re fed”

She became analytical about gender stereotypes when she had her daughter Nancy. Providing Nancy, and girls like her, with strong female protagonists to look up to, became a driving motivation for setting up Sister Motion. 

Nicky is an avid surfer (and was a skater when she was in her teens) and this passion has spilled in to her work, informing many of the clients that have bought in to her all female talented teams. 

Episode highlights:

• Taking the slams - falling in surfing and falling in the business. 

• Sister Motion - “comes from my own lived experience. I was often the only female on a shoot, other than hair and make-up.”

• “I want my daughter Nancy to have better role models in commercial content and adverts.”

• We need to change the statistics in the broadcast and advertising industry.

• Journey in to boarding - from teen skateboarder to avid surfer. “In an ideal world I would surf every day.”

• The joy of surfing - “surfing is my new high.”

• Social media is encouraging more women in their middle years to try out these sports.

• Surf etiquette - finding your space in a male dominated environment.

More about Nicky:

@nickywoodhouse

@sister_motion

Sister Motion

Groups Nicky mentions:

London Surf Club

Surfing England

@sauntonsurfsisters

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Falconer-White is a 49 year old mum who took up skateboarding just before lockdown, and practiced throughout lockdown in her garage. She specialises in freestyle skating and was the only woman from the UK to compete in the European Freestyle Championships 2023. She has documented her journey on instagram @skatejanefw.

Episode highlights:

• Taking pride in bruises - “the more you fall the more you lose the fear of it”. 

• Rock to Fakie - what it is.

• Getting in to skateboarding just before lockdown and then learning at home on the internet.

• Skateboarding has adrenaline and excitement, but it’s also about being in flow and being relaxed.

• Freestyle skateboarding - what it is. 

• Taking part in the European Freestyle Championships with Mike Osterman’s board.

• Instagram - “it helped me to document my journey”. It’s great for networking, but be careful not to compare yourself.

• Skating at home in the garage in the winter. 

• Being supported by family. 

• Skating helps with mental health as well as physical health and peri-menopause. 

More about Jane:

Insta: @skatejanefw

Places and people Jane mentions:

The House Skatepark

@mike_osterman

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights:

• Stefanie gets on a skateboard for the first time.

• Why Stefanie set up F*ck Being Humble in 2018: self-promotion is not a dirty word.

• The business hit a nerve and went viral.

• Managing imposter syndrome.

• Reflect on the big and the small wins.

• Overcome shame and fear of judgment.

• Stefanie learns a valuable lesson on the streets of New York: “Sit with discomfort - the payoff could be extraordinary”.

• Find a ‘F*ck you’ song and a celebration song.

• Make sure you have a safety net - a group of cheerleaders and positive people.

More about Stefanie:

fuckbeinghumble.com

Insta: @stefaniesw and @fbeinghumble

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skating bowls in her 60s, Marlene talks about skating at an older age, menopause, recovering from falls and coming back to skating after a heart attack. She was one of the founding members of @100percentskateclub in Canada, creating safe spaces for girls and women to skate. On top of this, as @imagemaven, she is a YouTube photography tutor. 

Episode highlights:

• Coming back from a big fall. 

• The journey into skateboarding - from teens to now.

• “I’ve found my tribe”

• Creating community - the 100percentskateclub - making space for women and girls.

• You don’t need to belong to a team and it doesn’t matter how good you are….and it’s exciting and inspiring to watch. 

•  You’re not too old - resisting dissenting voices. 

• “I’m a sensible skater - I don’t skate when it’s wet and I only take calculated risks.”

• The joy that skating brings - the flow. “It can turn a bad day in to a great day.”

• Coming back to skating after having a heart attack.

• Start slow, and find your own group or  start your own club. 

More about Marlene:

Insta: @imagemaven

Youtube: ImageMaven

Places and clubs Marlene mentions:

100% Skate Club

Later Skaters Gang

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hayley Lawrence aka @middleagedsurfmum tried surfing many times in her life, but it became her whole life in her 40s. She’s now a writer, works with The Wave Project charity as a coach, and founded both a local mums surf group, as well as a travel company specialising in surf holidays for families.

Episode highlights:

• “The ocean is there to humble us.” It can be frustrating at times and some days you just have to give up. 

• It’s not about doing it for anyone other myself" - that makes it easier to deal with the more frustrating days. 

• “You feel really rinsed….it’s the best feeling.” It's all worth it though.

• The long journey in to surfing.

• Surfing with the family and surfing as time out from the family. “It’s the only place no-one can get you.”

• Setting up a surf mum’s group and a travel company.

• Surfing in the Hebrides and Senegal. 

More about Hayley:

 @middleagedsurfmum

Family Surf Co.

Places Hayley mentions:

King Surf

The Wave Project

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skating and mortgages don’t seem a natural match, but it worked. It also mirrored Abba’s journey into skateboarding on a personal level as a 40+ woman. Now 50, she is still an avid skater and surfer. 

She has since joined Circa5000, a UK based ethical investment platform. She plans to connect the brand to surfing, in a similar vein to how she connected Skateboarding to Habito. 

In this conversation, Abba talks about both her branding and her personal journey in to the world of skating and surfing. 

Episode highlights:

• How Habito came to be the official UK Skate Championships sponsor.
• Creating more spaces for communities to skate.
• Don’t be scared of skateboarders - skateboarding can drive out crime.
• We need more skate coaches.
• Circa 5000 and impact investing and surfing.
• A personal journey in to surfing and skateboarding. 
• Boomtime for skateboarding.
• Just get out there and do it.

Companies mentioned by Abba:

Habito

Circa 5000

Jimbo Phillips

Places mentioned by Abba:

Noah Surf House

Bay Sixty6

Groups mentioned by Abba:

Concrete Waves

Skateboard GB

MySkate

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host: Caroline Keylock

Producer: Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Esther touches on coming back to skateboarding after her injury and overcoming fear to do so; what a drop in is; skating without pads; ageing and menopause, and subverting the narrative of decline; and how skateboarding has changed her relationship with her children. 

Episode highlights:

• The battle scars of falling
• The feeling of skating without pads (when it’s safe to do so)
• Bowl skating, dropping in, and gaining confidence 
• Strategies on overcoming fear (especially after an injury)
• Skating as a family
• Menopause, ageing and skateboarding

More about Esther:

@esthersayers

Dr Esther Sayers

Places Esther mentions:

House of Vans Skatepark

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host - Caroline Keylock

Producer - Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Valeriya explains what longboard dancing is, and how she came to it; why she set up the Longboard Camp; how women of all ages are stepping in to this arena; the importance of welcoming in difficult feelings of insecurity and imposter syndrome; and how she is now trying to find more of a balance in her life again. 

Episode content and highlights:

• It’s ok to fall. 
• What is longboard dancing?
• Feeling the flow - let your moves unfold. 
• You’re never too old to start.
• Welcome the feeling of insecurity - lack of confidence is a part of it.
• It’s ok to be ordinary and to fail.
• Burning out and finding a balance again. 
• Choose better and set priorities. 
• Taking a break from social media.
• Skating is a happy moment of flow and expression.

More about Valeriya:

@valeriya_gogunskaya

The Longboard Camp

@the_longboard_camp

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host - Caroline Keylock

Producer - Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.