Lauren L. Hill

Shows

Episodes

  1. Howie Cooke: Artivism

    MAR 11

    Howie Cooke: Artivism

    When was the last time you had an epiphany?  Artist/activist Howie Cooke shares the sudden realisation that steered the course of his life's work - a handful of decades on the front lines of marine protection via NGOs, art, music and direct action.  Howie has spent 50 years boogie boarding, playing guitar and painting. He has shown in hundreds of art exhibitions around the world – in addition to his large-scale murals, mostly of cetaceans.  Twenty years ago, Howie co-founded the NGO Surfers for Cetaceans to activate surf media on the issue of whaling. S4C then grew into one of surfing’s most scrappily impactful direct action organisations – through campaigns like Transparentsea, films like Academy Award winning documentary The Cove, and collaborating with groups like Paul Watson’s Sea Shepherd. Along the way we dig into what keeps conviction alive as you age: ideals without absolutism, humor as a tool, and the role of the artist in a world flooded with distraction.  If you care about the power of art, cetacean conservation, ocean pollution, or creative environmental activism, this conversation offers both practical lessons and deep emotional re-centering.  We talk through the campaigns, contradictions, and  mindset that have kept Howie moving forward without slipping (too far) into perfectionism or despair. Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    2h 38m
  2. Soli Bailey: Maps to Now

    MAR 1

    Soli Bailey: Maps to Now

    There's no straight lines in the ocean - nor in a surfing life. We sit with professional surfer and Bundjalung waterman Soli Bailey to trace his lines from early talent and success, through the grind of competing and a life-threatening neck injury, to a grounded love of surfing that’s deeper than any accolades. Soli opens up about the quiet crisis that arrived during lockdowns: paddling out and not wanting to be there. He breaks down how stepping off the contest treadmill, and reconnecting with community brought the spark back. Then comes the hard turn: a violent injury, neurosurgeons warning he was lucky to walk, and the decision to have surgery. Soli shares what recovery taught him about slowing down, caring for his body, and holding ambition without letting it hollow you out.  We revisit his dream run—Cloudbreak’s drainers, Shipstern’s step-ladders, and hidden points—and why he doesn’t need “bigger, faster, farther” to feel complete. Along the way, he honors the people who steadied him: a steadfast stepmum, a patient partner, mentors, and sponsors who backed a freesurf path over results. Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 16m
  3. Patti Paniccia: Raising the Bar

    FEB 9

    Patti Paniccia: Raising the Bar

    What are you unwilling to ignore?  Through her experience in pro surfing, journalism and law, Patti Paniccia is a formidable advocate for equity in the water and the workplace.   Patti helped build the IPS tour from the ground up, organised the Hawaii Women’s Surfing Hui to create opportunity, and then carried that same tenacity into law and journalism—ultimately winning a landmark workplace discrimination case against CNN. We sit down with Patti to unpack how a young surfer inspired by chasing lost boards at Huntington Pier became the woman cold-calling promoters, writing qualifying criteria, and pushing the sport past the tired trope of “curiosities with too many male hormones.” Patti takes us inside the inaugural 1976 world tour—its camaraderie and the mess of sponsors asking for wet t‑shirt contests and “date raffles.” She breaks down why equal pay without equal opportunity is still inequity, citing the principle that interest and ability grow from access and experience. We talk media erasure and the plaques that forgot women, and the everyday tactics it took to earn respect in the lineup. Then the story widens. Law school at Pepperdine with dawn sessions at Malibu. Local TV, an Emmy nomination, and an on-air career shaped by a reporter’s craft: tell the human story first. Motherhood reveals the limits of “we love your reporting” as doors close and memos suggest “mommydom.” Patti’s lawsuit—gruelling and precedent-setting—shows what it costs to confront power and what changes when you win. Through it all, surfing remains the anchor: of strength, confidence, and perspective that travels from the lineup to the classroom, newsroom and courtroom. If you care about surfing history, gender equity, media accountability, or how to hold a line under pressure, you’ll find a blueprint here. Patti Paniccia is one of professional surfing's under-celebrated architects.  Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 14m
  4. Sterling Spencer: Fan of the Universe

    12/12/2025

    Sterling Spencer: Fan of the Universe

    At age 8, Sterling Spencer was signed to surf sponsorship and then had a successful amateur career before chasing the Pro Tour.  He was an early internet adopter who found his stride not in competitive surfing, but in making good fun of an earnest surf industry and culture.  Sterling is a pro surfer and media maker from Florida’s Gulf Coast known for blending high performance surfing with comedic skits in films like GOLD and Surf Madness. He is the host of Pinch My Salt, a mashup surf and comedy podcast “where surf culture gets roasted, worshipped, and flipped upside down.”  Sterling was the subject of the 2024 film Are You Serious? That traces his diagnosis and recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury.  We go deep on the invisible chaos of concussion—why scans can miss it, how symptoms creep, and what happens when COVID and old infections complicate healing.  Surfing becomes both mirror and medicine, not a performance, but a practice that quiets the noise and rebuilds trust in body and mind. Along the way, Sterling opens up about his upbringing, the relief of humor, and the early internet era when he roasted the surf industry and found sudden notoriety.  There are stories you’ll replay: Kelly Slater’s psychological heat tactics, centaur sightings that became an icebreaker, and the hard-earned lesson that being a nobody can feel like freedom.  We talk parenting and breaking cycles, why algorithms flatten originality, the comedic brain, crisis as creative fuel, and making surfing his own again.  Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 31m
  5. Living the Questions: answering your queries

    12/22/2025

    Living the Questions: answering your queries

    Ever felt the ocean fix what land couldn’t?  This episode, we turn the mics on one another and answer your questions about grief, love, parenting, and crowded lineups.  Hear the stories behind the sails, the garden, and the choices that have shaped us.  Also:  It’s time for our annual giveaway – you can enter by leaving a review of the podcast before January 15th – wherever you listen to podcasts. A couple of years ago our dear friends took us to their favourite hidden gem in Indonesia: Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat nestled into the cliffs of Sumba. We want one lucky listener to experience it, too.  To enter: Leave us a review wherever you listen – Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc with at least two sentences. The first sentence is about your favorite Waterpeople episode, and the second is about who you would like to bring with you to experience the spaciousness and reeling rights of Ngalung Kalla in 2026 – and why you want to take that person with you.  Don’t forget to leave a way to get in touch with you – your name, email, - any way you prefer.  Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 19m
  6. Derek Hynd: Conducting Chaos

    10/02/2019

    Derek Hynd: Conducting Chaos

    Culture shaper and former world Tour Surfer Derek Hynd has always felt like an outsider looking in. In Episode 8, he talks far field theory, seeing magic in the mundane, how style has been made irrelevant in modern competitive surfing and the impact of vanishing hipsters. He also boils down the gender performance gap to one singular element. It's a meandering conversation with many delightful twists and turns that'll make you want to revisit your surf history. Several months after recording this episode, Derek's house tragically caught fire and he lost almost all of his earthly possessions. Some friends have set up a GoFundMe to help fund his rebuild. If you feel moved to support, here's the link. ..... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich More about Derek  Sound Engineer: Shannon Sol Carroll  Join the conversation: Waterpeoplepodcast.com @Waterpeoplepodcast  Photo Credit: Unknown (Please reach out if you took this photo) Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 13m
  7. Mark Healey: Confronting Discomfort

    07/31/2019

    Mark Healey: Confronting Discomfort

    Legendary waterman Mark Healey lost three friends to heavy water situations through the course of the early 2000s. He speaks candidly about the ways these experiences rewired his process of risk assessment, while maintaining his relationship with the water and his career as a professional risk taker: chasing big waves, free diving, spearfishing, shark tagging, bow hunting, and working as a Hollywood stuntman.  Mark also shares about relying on instincts in heavy situations, the importance of being able to override the fear response through preparation, and asking the tough questions of yourself about the 'whys' of decision-making. Mark’s yogic approach to confronting discomfort inspires us to keep facing our self-built boundaries. He reminds us that without challenge, there is no growth.  …  The Waterpeople Podcast is a gathering for our global ocean community to dive into the critical conversations of our culture through storytelling. We sit with some of the most adept waterpeople on the planet to explore common themes of aquatic lives lived well: ecology, adventure, community, activism, science, egalitarianism, inclusivity, meaningful play.  And surfing, of course. Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich  Sound Engineer: Shannon Sol Carroll  Music by Band of Frequencies. Available via www.lowpressureproductions.com and on Spotify.   Join the conversation: Waterpeoplepodcast.com @Waterpeoplepodcast  Photo Credit: Unknown (Please Reach out if you took this photograph) Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    48 min
  8. Torren Martyn & Aiyana Powell: Solo, Together

    06/08/2024

    Torren Martyn & Aiyana Powell: Solo, Together

    Ever 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 Aiyana learned as they went – how to be fisherfolk, navigators, meteorologists, and mechanics to take care of running repairs — and still found plenty of surf along the way.  Torren and Aiyana talk us through the happenstance of meeting, their time aboard Calypte – the trials of trust and communication at sea— and their newest adventure – starting a family together. Photo credit: Ishka Folkwell Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 36m
  9. Stu Nettle: Voice & Vertigo

    12/28/2023

    Stu Nettle: Voice & Vertigo

    Injuries 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 lively pages of Kurangabaa, an academic – leaning surf journal he helped to found and run in the early 2000s. It was a trove of thoughtful essays, along with poetry, fiction and interviews – and part of a larger, exciting, indepedent DIY surf culture of that time.  We wanted to know: what kind of life has shaped the voice and perspective of one of Australia's most prolific surf journalists?   Stu talks us through the Sunset Beach hold down that changed him, the value of knowing our history,  gender politics at Swellnet and the the future(s) of surf media. … Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound Engineer: Ben Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Dave & Ben Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 14m
  10. John Florence: Navigating Edges

    11/25/2021

    John Florence: Navigating Edges

    Olympian 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 embraced all kinds of ocean activity, and also the wisdom of surfers from the timeline of surfing. In our meandering chat, John talks us through high speed  sailing with eighty-year-old surfing legend Joey Cabell,  the value of taking breaks from the singular focus of competitive surfing, the ambiguity of the impacts of social media, his favourite surf film, and how he navigates being an introvert in a culture of extroverts. John also speaks to his absolute love of surfing that leaves him speechless, even after decades of marathon  surf sessions.  ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound Engineer & Music By: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music: ‘Evergreen’ by Band of Frequencies:  Men of Wood & Foam album    Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast Waterpeoplepodcast.com Photo Credit: Hurley Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 17m
  11. Jack Johnson: Time, Dreams & The Heart

    08/09/2022

    Jack Johnson: Time, Dreams & The Heart

    In 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  Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, which supports and funds environmental, art, and music education, and the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which provides experiential environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaiʻi.  We caught up with Jack as he prepped to release his eighth studio album Meet the Moonlight in June 2022 about Greek mythology, watching dragonflies,  balancing family and work, the function of the artist today and where style comes from — in both music and surfing.  ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound Engineer: Ben Alexander Soundtrack By: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Wave Brain  - Dave, Neal Purchase Jr. and Christian Barker  Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast Waterpeoplepodcast.com Photo Credit: Protect Our Rivers Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    57 min
  12. Bob McTavish: Trim & Wonder

    08/30/2024

    Bob McTavish: Trim & Wonder

    Over the last half century, Bob McTavish has shaped thousands of custom surfboards.  Always an innovator in surfboard design and technology, Bob pioneered cutting edge changes to the basic concept of a surfboard.  In 1965,  he started tinkering with rail and bottom design to maximise performance. This was part of the movement that would become known as the shortboard revolution, in which Bob’s role was pivotal, but only part of his ongoing contribution to the evolution of the surfboard. Now in his eighth decade, Bob continues to push the limits of surfboard design across the full range of wave-riding vehicles, including the shape that we focus on in this conversation – the 10 foot plus glider.   After 5 years dormant, Bob brought his objective surf contest concept - The McTavish Trim -  to our local surf festival with three rules: Rule #1 - Board must be 10ft+ Rule #2 - Furthest up the beach wins -- must hit the sand (paddle around the very wide  buoy)  Rule #3 - Must stay on your feet Surfing is full of old men who calcify and only speak of the good 'ole days.   Bob is not one of those guys -- he's still full of wonder and has made a career out of his wave riding curiosity. We were lucky enough to sit down with Bob in front of a live audience at the 2024 Byron Bay Surf Festival in the parking lot of the McTavish factory - to talk all things glider, the surf/life balance, and how he has stayed perpetually stoked.  Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    58 min
  13. Cliff Kapono: Tomorrow's Ancestors

    09/01/2020

    Cliff Kapono: Tomorrow's Ancestors

    Native Hawaiian biochemist Dr. Cliff Kapono talks us through the embodied fusion of modern scientific inquiry and reverent indigeneity. Cliff is amongst the most versatile surfers on the planet. He shares some of his most vulnerable moments, brimming with frustration and self-doubt, and humbly reflects on the ways a surfing life has kept him here. In our meandering conversation, Cliff also covers the conflict of biotech, environmental activism, traditional Hawaiian lore & surf crafts, and reveals the micro-interconnections between surfers and other marine mammals. ..... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich More about Cliff  Sound Engineer: Shannon Sol Carroll Music by: Shannon Sol Carroll & Band of Frequencies  Join the conversation: Waterpeoplepodcast.com @Waterpeoplepodcast  Photo Credit: Unknown (If you took this photo please reach out) Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 25m
  14. Holly Beck: Simplicity + Therapy

    08/10/2025

    Holly Beck: Simplicity + Therapy

    Is there a particular fear that's still holding you back?  Holistic surf therapist and coach Holly Beck talks us through the way she sees terrestrial life play out in the water -  in terms of how we behave and how we engage with others and with the ocean.  Holly spent 10 years as a professional surfer, where she pioneered new pathways for women in the industry as a competitor, savvy freesurfer and as president of International Women's Surfing, a largely forgotten union to push for equal pay and opportunity in the early 2000s.  In the year 2000, Holly took home the Teen Choice award for Female Extreme Athlete. She was also one of surfing’s first reality TV stars: as one of seven pro surfers filmed and followed on Oahu’s North Shore during the 2002 Triple Crown of Surfing. Holly moved to Central America at age 30, eventually building a tiny off-grid home that pulled focus on her values.  Holly has a degree in psychology, an MBA, and a master’s in counselling. She is the founder Surf With Amigas – an all-inclusive surf and yoga retreat for adventurous women – which she’s run for the last 15 years from her homebase in Central America.  Today she is part of innovating the space of therapeutic surf coaching – a modality that combines experiential and talk therapy with surf coaching to elucidate clients mental wellbeing, while also improving their surfing. Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 30m
  15. Bonnie Tsui: On Muscle + Movement

    06/08/2025

    Bonnie Tsui: On Muscle + Movement

    What moves you through the world? In the most literal sense, it's the same answer for all of us: muscle.  In On Muscle, Bonnie Tsui brings her signature blend of science, culture, immersive reporting, and personal narrative to examine not just what muscles are - but what they mean to us.  Bonnie attended Harvard University, where she rowed crew, snowboarded, and studied American literature. She came to surfing in her late 20s after relocating to California.  Today, Bonnie lives, swims, and surfs in the Bay Area and contributes regularly to the New York Times.   She is the author of four books: American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods, Why We Swim,  Sarah and the Big Wave, and her latest, On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters Bonnie talks us through the purpose of the brain (!), learning to surf as an adult, the gendered cultural narratives around strength, the name of a whale's powerful butt muscle, and the inevitability of age related muscle loss (and what we can do about it).  More about Bonnie here & here ... This episode is made possible by our generous partners: Patagonia is in business to save our home planet.  Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet. ... Primal Water, by Alkaway, is an at-home water filter that mimics nature and is boosted with molecular hydrogen. It's a game-changer. Head to Primal-water.com and use the code waterpeople for $100 off your purchase until June 30th, 2025. Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 20m
  16. Chris Del Moro: Lead with Deeds

    06/21/2023

    Chris Del Moro: Lead with Deeds

    With 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 by Jason Baffa, which explores his Italian heritage and the blossoming culture of Italian surfing. Chris has also worked closely with environmental organisations, like Surfers for Cetaceans, combining art and activism to help protect wild species and spaces.  Chris is now the co-owner of Baghsu Jewels, with his wife Madgi, and is the Creative Director for Drifter Surf in Bali.    At the time of recording, they’ve been traveling the Southern Hemisphere for nearly a year with their two boys Marley and Bodhi, aged 7 and 4. We caught up with Chris during the 3-month leg of their Australian adventure.   Chris talks us through why he said ‘no’ to professional surfing, growing up amongst LA’s South Bay legacy of watermen, the rite of passage of life guarding,  the deeper purpose that activism brought to his surfing and art, and cultivating the under appreciated virtues of service, responsibility  and staying centered - so that we can bring our best selves to our families. .... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound Engineer: Ben Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Dave & Ben Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Photo Credit: Unknown (If you took this photo please reach out) Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 40m
  17. Theory of Change (pt. 1): Waterwomen Camp Out

    09/01/2025

    Theory of Change (pt. 1): Waterwomen Camp Out

    How does change happen when we, and the world, seem stuck in our ways?  We’re curious about how change happens – and what people are doing on the ground, in our community, to create the causal pathways to shift social and environmental ideas, norms, and policy.  Listen in for stories from the 2025 Waterwomen Camp Out put on by the NGO Surfers for Climate.  The Waterwomen Camp is an annual weekend of women in nature coming together to help shape the future of surf culture and protect what we love. Through a series of workshops, wellness, connection and celebration we focus on educating and empowering women to own their place in and out of the water. We hear from a range of attendees - from twenty to seventy-somethings. From those new to environmental work, to those five or more decades into their activism. These are stories about women seeing needs in their community and rising to meet them – from climate policy, to first aid, cultural reconciliation, right to the hands-on nitty gritty of cleaning our local river water, so the waterways, and the surfspots that catch them, stay clean and healthy – so we can, too. One thing we know for sure about cultural change: it doesn't happen alone. We need each other, and we need strong communities.  This episode is part of a two part mini-series exploring theories of change. Later this year, Dave will take us to a local River Festival involved in revitalising waterways.  Thanks to Caitlin Fine, Nidala Barker,  Zoe White, Lucy Ewing, Courtney Miller, Aunty Lois Cook, Emjay Freeman, Kate McMahon, Tilly Hiscock, Stella, Emily, Britney, Dianne Tucker, Aunty Leila, and everyone who shared stories at the Waterwomen Camp Out 2025.  Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    1h 1m
  18. Felicity Palmateer: Nature’s Course

    07/24/2023

    Felicity Palmateer: Nature’s Course

    If 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 of the worlds tallest and heaviest waves. Tune in to hear about Flick’s time playing Survivor, the state of inclusivity in surfing, why she transitioned from pursuing the Tour to chasing heavy water, and her recent marriage to a childhood friend. … Felicity is an ambassador for Dementia Australia, whose work your can learn about here. … Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound Engineer: Ben Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Dave & Ben Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  … Photo Credit: Giulia Ávila Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    58 min
  19. Ethnomads: Ke'ili Mcevilly + Chris Miyashiro

    11/21/2025

    Ethnomads: Ke'ili Mcevilly + Chris Miyashiro

    Grief, love, and lineage shape a rite of passage as our guests recall learnings from storms, stars, mentors, and manta rays at midnight. Ke'ilii Mcevilly is an environmental scientist with a Masters degree in sustainability. Ke'ili grew up surfing in California, and is now based on the island of Oahu. She is an artist and waterwoman involved in the flourishing of traditional Hawaiian cultural practice, from aloha aina based conservation work, to hula and making kapa under the tutelage of Pūkoʻa Studios.  Artist- surfer- sailor-filmmaker Chris Miyashiro shares his story in-depth here.  Together, they are Ethnomads, two pacific islanders learning how to wayfind. We get into an unlikely origin story: finding the canoe on Craigslist, and calling in a mentor to teach traditional lashings.  Then the real crossing begins: A compass left unsecured spins uselessly on day one, a phone with charts pops overboard, and the crew leans into mixed navigation: swells, stars, and disciplined watches.  Ke'ili shares what it meant to be the only wahine aboard, from cycle logistics and zero‑waste choices to the mental endurance of being surrounded by water you can't get amongst.  They weathered cold, wet nights under June gloom, feet stuffed into wetsuit tops, and defied a fear list that covered everything from infections to constipation - revealing the gritty side of ocean travel. Along the way, the ocean becomes a classroom—mahi on the lines, journals open, and the sky replacing the newsfeed. Threaded through the voyage is lineage. Aʻa, the star whose name means 'to burn bright' and 'to dare,' becomes both compass and prayer. We talk kuleana and wayfinding ethics, the quiet authority of mentors, and how culture lives through practice. The canoe A'a shapes not just their route but their relationship, teaching balance, patience, and mutual care—two hulls moving as one. Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    51 min
  20. The Rivers Run: Theory of Change (pt. 2)

    12/17/2025

    The Rivers Run: Theory of Change (pt. 2)

    What's a river to you?  After cyclone Alfred crossed Australia's East Coast earlier this year, tens of thousands of fish died in our local river, Dave got a persistent staph infection and our community tousled with a question: what's wrong with our river? And what can we do about it ? How does change happen when we, and the world, seem stuck in our ways?  We’re curious about how change happens – and what people are doing on the ground, in our community, to create the causal pathways to shift social and environmental ideas, norms, and policy.  The first episode heard from organisers and attendees of the 2025 Waterwomen Camp Out put on by the NGO Surfers for Climate.  In today's episode, we head to Richmond River Fest 2025,  a month-long celebration of the rivers, cultures, and communities of the Northern Rivers put on by Richmond Riverkeeper. We hear from marine scientist Liz Hawkins, who reveals how our resident Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins use the Richmond as a kitchen and nursery. She connects river health to coastal resilience.  Then, lifelong commercial fisher Mark lays down hard truths about the Teven/Tuckean barrage and failed floodgates. The fix is practical and proven. Revive The Northern Rivers founder Tom Wolff speaks of his seventh generation connection to the river and gives Dave a guiding question that fills his sails. Dave shares the story behind one of his projects this year, The Rivers Run. It's a 50-kilometer run–paddle–swim designed to recruit surfers, divers, and sailors into tree-planting, mangrove restoration, and on-the-ground river care with OzFish and Revive the Northern Rivers.  Along the Cape Byron Marine Park and a UNESCO-recognized Hope Spot, we remember why this coastline still inspires—and what it demands in return. Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia  Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter. You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

    43 min