SHOP THE KIT
When everything goes sideways in your world, what does "comfort in the chaos" actually look like for you?
It looks like breath. Going back to the inhale and exhale so I can quiet my thoughts or heightened emotions. Breathwork takes me from being in the storm and the fray to the eye and the calm.
What's the gnarliest day you've ever had in your element, and how did it change the way you operate now?
Coming back from a sea trial at the Channel Islands in California. Weather was iffy for the next morning—small craft warning plus big waves—and we still sent it. Just a quick evening trip.
We had following seas well WELL overhead, swell towering over the stern of our twenty-foot rig. That's when I learned not to mess with the weather. Play to play another day, and send it to send another day.
What do you chase more: the perfect result or the feeling you get getting there—and why?
Hah-I'd like to say the feeling of getting there, but I think we all strive innately for some degree of perfection. When I have a goal in mind, I methodically make it happen—with the aim of enjoying the journey along the way- to perfection. :)
What's one non‑negotiable ritual or mindset you rely on before you step into high‑pressure conditions?
Practice. Practice. Practice, Coffee in the morning, breath work and going over what is about to happen in my mind. Practice the motion or the what the day will offer either the night before or days before the event.
What's a small thing that instantly flips your switch—pet peeve, superstition, or ridiculous habit your crew loves to clown you for?
Sand on my gear. I just- no. No, thank you, merci beaucoup.
There was a day when a dear friend was handing me back my kite harness and she dropped it in the sand right before giving it to me. I guess I made a face that she has yet to let me live it down.
Describe the last session or ride where you knew one bad decision could wreck you—but you went anyway. What pulled you through?
An afternoon wing foil session on a bluebird day off the coast of Puerto Rico. Deep blue seas, cobalt as could be. I was on a small electric lime green wing, way far out on open ocean, alone. When I say way far out I mean well over 2 nm on my own. I had the time of my life.
What pulled you through?
Overconfidence
What do you read first: the ocean/terrain, your body, or your headspace—and how does that order keep you sharp?
One: body. Two: headspace. Three: ocean.
I think of it this way- you have to check the fuel and the engine of a car before driving it somewhere. So- is my engine running properly? Enough fuel to get me to where I need to go ? Sweet- let’s go.
When a swell or line doesn’t look “safe” but still calls your name, what’s your internal green light to send it?
“GOTTA RISK IT FOR THE BISCUIT, I REPEAT GOTTA RISK IT FOR THE BISCUIT”
What’s one lesson the ocean or the trail taught you the hard way that you still carry every day?
Drink water. Hydrate. Electrolytes. I lived on an island in the Maldives and was working my butt off as a surf guide. I was not drinking enough water and got a kidney stone. Painful lesson that I think of often. Especially since all they would feed me in the hospital was canned tuna. :(
What’s the funniest wipeout or gear‑fail moment you’ve had out there—the one your friends will never let you forget?
I was floating away from my friends when I first started learning to kitesurf. Too big of a kite, little legs dangling as I flew away down the beach. My friends pulled me back down, and I got the name Levitatria.