The Soul Mammas Podcast Nicole De Leon: Podcast Host and Fired up Soul Mamma

What's it like to surf one of the scariest big waves on earth, and be the first woman to do it? When I think of women’s big wave surfing, I immediately think of Sarah Gerhardt-Northern California’s courageous Maverick’s surfer. When I was only a teenager, learning to surfer myself, Sarah was pushing the limit for women’s surfing at one of the scariest, coldest, most daunting waves on earth. 
 
And not only has she dominated one of the biggest, most difficult waves to surf in the world, she is also a mama of two, and professor of Chemistry. This mama is both accomplished, on a physical and intellectual level, and uses her focus and analytical brain, to master all that she sets her sights on. 
 
What I find the most interesting about Sarah, is that she studied Mavericks at length before actually dropping in on a wave herself. It’s fascinating to hear to progression of going from watching to actually partaking in one of the scariest things a human can do. Her husband, Mikey, one of the most accomplished male big wave surfers, is one of her greatest inspirations and she admits he’s her favorite surfer to watch out at Mavericks. 
 
In 1998, she paddled out to watch from the channel, analyzing and watching every wave, and eventually paddled into a few herself. She admits that it is terrifying, but that knowing your surroundings, having good equipment and clocking in the hours studying the wave has helped to keep her feeling safer in this treacherous environment. 
 
Sarah is not someone who had it easy growing up, she has experienced homelessness and poverty, and appreciates all that she has and has accomplished. Today we are going to talk about what she learned from her tough upbringing and how thats made her who she is today, how that has informed her parenting, how big wave surfing affected her parenting and what its like to face our biggest fears. 
Take Aways: 
Sarah’s life before surfing Mavericks, and what inspired her to surf the wave in the first place
Homelessness and struggle in Sarah’s childhood and how it led to who she is today
How Sarah homed in on Maverick’s and began training seriously to surf the wave
How Sarah and her friends trained with heavy rocks and big wave gear to get into shape for giant wave surfing
Sarah’s experience watching this terrifying wave from the channel, and analyzing every little detail of the wave and conditions.
Sarah’s first paddle out at Mavericks and how she got slapped around, scared and discouraged.
The next time she paddled out, she felt more confident, and how her mindset shifted.
How our mindset can get us to do things we never could’ve imagined in this life.
Channeling intensity into courageous pursuits
When Sarah met her husband Mickey and how he pushed her to appreciate this wave even more.
Sarah’s take on new motherhood versus now, and the challenges that accompany each stage.
Why Sarah opted out of big wave surfing last year during the COVID pandemic.

It's not that common to see moms who not only are dedicated wave riders, but who also charge big waves. Today’s guest mama of three and surfer Remi Nealon, had hugе big wаvе ambitions prior to having children and thought she couldn’t return to them when she had her kids.  Remi аssumеd she wоuld bе “trаding riding giаnts fоr thе gigаntic jоy оf rаising а humаn." But she soon realized thаt it wasn’t thе cаsе fоr wоmеn. Once she took off on her first solid wave at Waimea Bay, she was hooked, and she realized she COULD have both. 
 
Not only is Remi a mom of three littles, she also raises them solo when her husband is often away for work. In addition, this mama charges some of the biggest, heaviest waves in Hawaii. Remi has such a positive headspace and mindset and that has really carried her through some of her biggest feats. She believes we can be anything we desire in this world and that connecting with her soul makes her a better mother. 
 
Today she is going to go deeper into why mothers should live out their greatest passions even with kids in tow, how she worked her way up into riding giants, and how she juggles surf time and time with her kids. 

In 2021 the pressure we put on ourselves as moms to be all and do all is at an all time high. Today’s mama is a longtime surfer who admits she is still adjusting to motherhood-after almost 3 years. Katherine Gethardt, mom of a toddler & former model/ actor, talks about learning to accept her new identity& body more openly. She also shares about how intense sleep deprivation in new motherhood can be, how co-sleeping is sometimes frowned upon, and how it's okay to not always fit into one motherhood box!
 
Today we talk about: 
Choosing to have a child later in life and being considered an "older mom"  The identity shifts that went along with returning to the water as a new mama  Learning to accept her new body postpartum and realizing that her former world in the modeling industry wasn't healthy for body image.  Navigating the physical changes that go along with new motherhood  How she chose to co sleep with her son and how it made her felt guilt.  How sleep deprivation affected her personally, and how it can change our entire lives.  How she tries to eliminate mom guilt from her life, but it's not always easy 

Do you ever look back on new motherhood and realize you were really struggling and didn't even know it at the time? Many guests, along with myself, have shared about their experiences with postpartum anxiety, insomnia, depression or depletion. We often look back on it and realize we could've used help and support and often didn't reach out for help during those challenging times. 
Today’s guest is Meli is a yogi, conscious living teacher, surfer, pro kiteboarder who experienced postpartum malaise and a feeling of not being "good enough." She also is someone who struggled with insomnia and exhaustion. This can be quite jarring for women who previously filled the day with many creative or athletic endeavors-it can shake our identities. 
Today Meli is going to talk about her experience with new motherhood vs. now, how she maintains her own business out of Jupiter Florida and manages to kite surf amongst it all. Meli belives we have the power within to create our most abundant, meaningful and fulfilling lives, and attributes yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to this. 
Meli uses conscious living practices (yoga, meditation, mindfulness and self reflection) as a framework to accomplish her goals, nourish her wellbeing and build up her confidence. She believes perseverance and the pursuit of what matters most to you is the key to "success."

What does "keeping it real" and authenticity have to do with success, or happiness? I believe it's everything. And so does today's guest mom Mona-Jane Hannemann.
Mona is an active, fit mama of two who loves working out and being outdoors. She also believes she doesn't fit into one motherhood box. Her social media following is large and successful, but it wasn't due to trying to change who she was. In fact, I believe, it can be attributed to her "real" down-to-earth nature, and humble approach to life. 
Mona has seen her own mama friends struggle with doing the things they once loved after becoming mothers and promised herself she would try to incorporate her passions into her daily life as a mother. 
Mona, is a self professed fitness nut, and her drive is inspiring others to live the lives they love and be their best physically in the process. Mona received a degree in Exercise Science, and lives on the North Shore of Hawaii, somewhere that really mirrors her outdoor lifestyle. 
Today we talk about: 
How stepping into new motherhood wasn't easy for Mona, but how she adjusted by taking her oldest son with her on all of her adventures.  How being an ocean mama can sometimes not seem very "conventional"  How we both admit to mom guilting ourselves over things like having dinner prepared nightly. Not every mom is the same! Not fitting into one motherhood box, and why that is OKAY.  How to own our own authenticity.  Why being "real" is what people are gravitating towards on social media.  Mona-Jane shares about her humble beginnings and how much it taught her about gratitude and hard work.  How maintaining her successful social media accounts looks day to day as a mom of two  How sometimes we have to work in the middle of the night in order to get our passions realized. 

Mom guilt. We've all grappled with it. But how do we get rid of it for good so we can be the most authentic version of ourselves for our kiddos? 
Today’s guest is a mama of not one, not two, but six kids. Kristin Andrus is going to share about how her own mom taught her kids that taking time for herself was more than okay. Kristin's own kids know that mommy takes time for yoga, working out, or health pursuits, to name a few. 
Even with such a big family, Kristin also manages to remain quite energetic and effervescent. 
Kristin's You Tube channel has 250 free at home work out vidoes for moms who like short at home work outs.

Her faith drives her life and commitment to her family is at the core of everything she does. Community means a lot to Kristin, and she is going to share how important it is for moms to reach out to other moms around to share their authentic stories. 
Today Kristin is going to share honestly about:
 How to articulate that we need time to ourselves sometimes Talking to our partners and being on the same "team"  How we can end up resenting our partners if we aren’t taking time for our own happiness.  New motherhood and how adjusting to our new roles isn't always easy  How all six of her kids have different needs and she has to parent them all differently  Her secret to "success" when working on entrepreneurial pursuits with her husband How moms can sometimes feel like we aren't "enough" if we don't have a full time income Why stay at home moms, at home moms, and working moms all have an important role Why we need to celebrate being "enough" as mothers