Mermaid Mode

Sasha Bondareva

Mermaid Mode is a podcast for women who feel most alive in, on, or near water. It’s a space for athletes, water-sports professionals, cold-water swimmers, and women who use water as a tool for recovery — physically, mentally, emotionally. Each episode explores the stories, rituals, and mindsets of women who have answered the call of water in their own way. Not all mermaids are the same.But they all know how to dive deep. Get in your Mermaid Mode. Dive deep. Stay wild.

Episodes

  1. EP 8 | Emely Freja Petersen - Ocean Soul - kite & yoga

    Jun 18

    EP 8 | Emely Freja Petersen - Ocean Soul - kite & yoga

    Emely is a kitesurfing and yoga instructor who runs camps in Akayaka, Turkey — a place she fell in love with on a visit nearly seven years ago and never left. Recorded beach-side at Sydvestpynten, one of Copenhagen's most popular kite spots, this episode covers a huge range of ground: starting kitesurfing in Denmark in early 2000s, competing in the Danish Freestyle Tour, why fewer girls are entering competitions these days, and why "free ride" categories might be the key to changing that. They also dig into the role of yoga in kitesurfing recovery and injury prevention, how kite culture has shifted from "just kite more" to gym sessions and protein shakes, and what makes a destination like Akyaka so special — protected nature, zero high-rises, and a community vibe that's hard to find elsewhere. Things get especially fun toward the end, with talk of slalom races, kitesurfing challenges, and a half-serious pitch for a kitesurfing app. A warm, funny and wide-ranging conversation between two people who clearly love this sport. 🪁

    58 min
  2. EP 7 | Lena - Cold Water Sirens - cold water surfing & surfing as therapy

    May 22

    EP 7 | Lena - Cold Water Sirens - cold water surfing & surfing as therapy

    Lena is an artist, surf coach, certified surf therapy facilitator, and the founder of Cold Water Sirens - a community built around cold water surfing on the North Sea coast of Denmark. What started as a question: "why is there nowhere for women who don't fit the standard surf school mould to go?" became a community, a coaching practice, a film, and a philosophy about what the ocean can actually do for you. The conversation goes deep, in the best way. They cover the mythology behind sirens and mermaids and why the figure means so much more than the male gaze version of it, what cold water surfing in a thickest possible wetsuit actually feels like, and why the North Sea will teach you something about letting go of expectations. Lena walks through her holistic approach to surf coaching — always a mix of mental, physical and embodied work — and explains the "Surf Your Cycle" workshop she developed around hormones, energy levels, and what your body needs at different points in the month. There's also a brilliant thread on fear of deep water, the Blue Mind theory, surf therapy as a practice, and why sometimes the most radical thing you can do is just sit with a cup of tea and look at the sea for 20 minutes.

    1h 4m
  3. EP 6 | Maria - Flip'n Fun Wakepark

    May 14

    EP 6 | Maria - Flip'n Fun Wakepark

    Maria grew up water skiing in Gambia at age seven. By the time she moved back to Sweden, there was nowhere nearby to ride. So eventually, she built her own. Episode 6 of Mermaid Mode is the first recorded on location — at Flip & Fun Wake Park in Sweden, currently a building site an hour and a half from Copenhagen, and soon to be Scandinavia's biggest cable park. Maria and her partner Henning have been working towards this for over a decade, including seven years just waiting for permits. Now the diggers are in, the groundwater is high, and the dream is finally taking shape. The conversation covers everything: how Maria got into wakeboarding, why she co-founded Nordic Wake Girls back in 2014, the case for building a water sports community that feels like a second home, what it actually takes to build a cable park from scratch in Sweden, and why more girls in the sport starts with atmosphere, female staff, and making it genuinely okay to fail. There's also a great thread on the creative process — from Pinterest boards and aquarelle sketches to AI visualisation tools — and a peek at what Flip & Fun will eventually offer: a restaurant, a sauna, cabins, possibly a snowboarding hill, and year-round riding if they can swing it. One to watch. Literally. 🌊

    36 min
  4. EP 5 | Ola - Ocean Pilgrims - jewelry design, kite camps & finding your true self

    May 1

    EP 5 | Ola - Ocean Pilgrims - jewelry design, kite camps & finding your true self

    In this episode we sit down with Ola, a Polish-born kitesurf instructor, jewellery maker, and founder of Ocean Pilgrims. Eight years ago Ola came to Tarifa, fell in love, and never left. Today she runs a kite school with her partner, makes one-of-a-kind necklaces from reclaimed vintage beads, and is launching her first women's kite retreat — a mindful, no-pressure space for female water lovers to connect, kite, and just breathe. The conversation goes far beyond kitesurfing. We talk about what it means to enjoy the water without any ambition to compete or perform, the particular joy of finding treasure at a flea market, sustainability in kitesurfing (and why the industry still has a long way to go), and the very Eastern European experience of being "programmed" to chase the safe career, the house, the plan — and slowly unlearning all of it. There's also Ocean Pilgrims itself: a jewellery brand that started as a creative outlet and quietly became a whole philosophy about reclaiming beauty, self-expression, and connection to the ocean. One of the most poetic and soul-felt episodes yet. 🌊

    56 min
  5. EP 4 | Nathalie / Big Blue Boards - board designs & kite camps

    Apr 24

    EP 4 | Nathalie / Big Blue Boards - board designs & kite camps

    In this episode, Sasha sits down with Nathalie — owner of Big Blue Boards, social media marketer, kitesurfing instructor, and organiser of women's kite camps across Egypt, Tarifa, Sardinia, Brazil and beyond. Nathalie's story is one of those "kitesurfing changed my life" ones that you can't help but love. A single trip to Egypt in 2011, a frustrating first lesson, and a decision to pack up and move there for a year to learn properly — that's where it all started. From there she found Barbara, the founder of Big Blue Boards, the first kiteboard brand built specifically for women, and ended up as ambassador, co-owner, and eventually sole owner of the brand. They dig into the gear side — why women were stuck riding boards that were too heavy, too stiff, and too big, why "shrink it and pink it" was never the answer, and how the industry has slowly started to catch up. They also talk about what actually builds confidence on the water, why kiting in imperfect conditions is more valuable than perfect flat water sessions, and how Pilates and strength training are quietly becoming every kiter's best kept secret.

    57 min
  6. EP 3 | Su Kay - Kite & product designer

    Apr 10

    EP 3 | Su Kay - Kite & product designer

    In this episode, Sasha sits down with Su Kay — kite designer, Big Air record breaker, and co-owner of Lacuna Kites based in South Africa. Su has been in the kitesurfing world for over two decades, starting out in New Zealand sweeping the floor of a kite board workshop, and working her way through brands like Cabrinha, Airush, and eventually Lacuna, where she now leads kite design. They cover a lot of ground: how Su accidentally fell into product design, what it's like to design a kite with a specific person and brief in mind, and how that approach led to the Alpha V4 — the kite she rode to a 25-metre jump and a Woo Worlds win at 49 years old. The conversation also goes deep on a topic that doesn't get nearly enough airtime: the lack of gear designed for female bodies. From harnesses that ride up to your chin, to wetsuits that only come in one shape, to the first women's harness finally designed by a woman — Su breaks down why this gap exists and what it would take to fix it. There's also a genuinely brilliant riff on why brands should stop trying to steal each other's customers and start thinking about who isn't kiting yet — and why that's where the real opportunity lies.

    1h 11m
  7. EP 2 | Athea_Kites - kitesurfing instructor & content creator

    Mar 26

    EP 2 | Athea_Kites - kitesurfing instructor & content creator

    In this episode, Sasha sits down with Athea — a kite instructor, content creator, and self-described "wannabe pro" based on the coast of Australia. In less than four years, Athea went from her first terrifying tandem ride on the open ocean to becoming a certified instructor and building a genuinely helpful online following with her breakdown-style kite tutorials. They talk about how to overcome fear in kitesurfing (both in the water and in your own head), the difference between coaching beginners and competitive riders, and why visualizing a trick before you ever get on the water might be the most underrated training tool out there. Athea also opens up about getting sponsored, what goes into producing tutorial content, and why a strong female kite community makes all the difference — whether you're at a world-class spot or a tiny windy town in the middle of nowhere. A genuinely fun and inspiring episode for anyone who wants to progress their kiting — or just needs motivation to roll around on the floor practicing board offs until the wind comes back. 🌬️

    43 min
  8. EP 1 | Kaya Lehmann - Competitive kitesurfing

    Mar 18

    EP 1 | Kaya Lehmann - Competitive kitesurfing

    In the very first episode of Mermaid Mode, we sit down with Kaya — 3x Danish champion, Junior World Champion, and GKA top-5 ranked freestyle kitesurfer. Despite her impressive résumé, Kaya is refreshingly grounded: she doesn't consider competing her whole identity, is studying further while traveling the world, and is laser-focused on pushing her riding to the next level. We dive into Kaya's journey from nervous first-time competitor at 16, to being recognised by legend Jalou Langeree as one to watch, to landing the blind-front-blind — a trick no other woman had done in competition at the time. The conversation covers the evolving freestyle scene, the growing presence of women in Big Air, what it's like going up against Bruna Kajiya, and the community of young girls now making their mark on the GKA tour.

    35 min
  9. Mermaid Mode Intro

    Trailer

    Mermaid Mode Intro

    In this first episode, I introduce Mermaid Mode — a podcast about women and water. This is a space for women who feel called to the ocean, lakes, rivers, and cold plunges. Women who compete in watersports, build careers in the water industry, write about water, research it, teach it, protect it — or simply return to it again and again because it makes them feel alive. In this episode, I share why I started this podcast, what “Mermaid Mode” means, and what you can expect from future conversations. Different paths. Different disciplines. One shared current. Dive deep. Stay wild.

    2 min

Trailer

About

Mermaid Mode is a podcast for women who feel most alive in, on, or near water. It’s a space for athletes, water-sports professionals, cold-water swimmers, and women who use water as a tool for recovery — physically, mentally, emotionally. Each episode explores the stories, rituals, and mindsets of women who have answered the call of water in their own way. Not all mermaids are the same.But they all know how to dive deep. Get in your Mermaid Mode. Dive deep. Stay wild.

Information

  • Creator
    Sasha Bondareva
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Sasha Bondareva
  • Show Website
    Mermaid Mode