Glennel Jordan Wing Foil interview- Blue Planet Show #8

Whether it's swimming with sharks, wing foiling in big waves a day before giving birth, or "toiling" on smooth North Shore walls with her smooth and flowy foil surfing style, Glennel Jordan lives a full life and openly shares about her background, surf foil and wing foil technique and equipment, her Macaw, her husband Zack and baby Raven, adventures, stories and how she keeps a positive outlook.

 

Wing Foil Show transcript:

Aloha friends, it's Robert, Stehlik, welcome to another episode of the blue planet show produced right here in my home office, in the garage.

On the blue planet show, we talk about wing foil technique and equipment, and I'm also trying to get to know my guests a little bit better, their background, what inspires them, and how they live each day to the fullest.

You can watch these long form interviews on YouTube, with video, or you can listen to them as a podcast on the go, just search for the blue planet show on your favorite podcast app.

Today's interview is with the awesome Glennel Jordan, she's amazing. She actually Wingfoiled the day before she gave birth, she's going to talk about that in the show.  She just has a real smooth foiling style and she credits it all to spending a lot of time foiling.  Her husband is also a fanatic and they're a super cool couple, right here on Oahu. And without further ado, please welcome Glennel Jordan.

Glennel, welcome to the blue planet show, it's really great to have you here.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah.

Thanks for joining me, tell us a little bit about your background, like where are you from, where you grew up and then also how you got into watersports and board sports and so on.

I am from the place where there's lots of water, Las Vegas.  The ninth Island and yeah, I grew up in Vegas, so I had no experience besides my swimming pool with water. My mom was in show business. She was a show girl. So I have the opposite background of most people in surfing. And then we moved to Malibu when I was, let's see 13, I believe. And that's where I started surfing Malibu Surfrider beach, the epicenter of surfing in Southern California.

And and then when I was 15, we moved to Maui. So I finished high school in Maui and that's when I really got into surfing at Hookipa after high school, after school. And yeah, and then I, once, once I was in Hawaii, I was like thinking where I'm going to go to college. And a lot of people in Hawaii that grow up here, usually getting out of the state to go to college.

But I decided I love the islands. I love Hawaii. And I love surfing. I love nature. So I knew that I wanted to stay here. So I moved to Oahu for college and went to Hawaii Pacific university. And I've been on Oahu ever since.

Okay. So you've been here since you're 15 years old in Hawaii, first Maui then?

All right. Yeah. So 20 years, I'm 35 now. Yeah. Yeah. And I I've lived on North shore the whole time. I had a friend that was living on the North shore and I was like, Oh, I'll just live with her. She had an extra room and that's it. So I had moved to the North shore when I got here. And then surfing ever since, and just getting into all the different ways to enjoy the ocean up here.

If there's an option to enjoy the ocean on a certain kind of board, I've tried it, I've done it. I've gone into it and then maybe I've stopped doing it. Yeah, I love it. I can't, I probably will never live anywhere else. I can't imagine it. Yeah. Oh, so your mom's a Vegas or was a Vegas show girl.

So you never got into that. No. She was she was a dancer and everything, and she was very specific about not giving me any dance lessons or singing lessons. She was like, you are going to be a smart business person. Yeah, she wanted me to take the opposite trajectory and I certainly did.

I, I studied finance and business and I'm a financial advisor now. So yeah, you got an MBA as well, right? Yeah. MBA in finance. And she just didn't want me anywhere near that industry. She, saw that long-term, it's like really hard for people to build a life and a career, out of show business per se.

Yeah. Yeah. So your early childhood memories that got you into the sport, was that in Malibu when you learned to surf or can you talk a little bit about that? Yeah. She, I remember my mom picked me up from the airport after I was seeing my grandparents and she said, guess what? She's we were like inland if a Malibu for a little bit, but she was like, guess what?

We're moving to Malibu. And she had already bought me a surf board and this, our board was in the car was a Stuart longboard. And I was like, Oh, okay, here we go. And so as she's I got some lessons from some guy at Surfrider Malibu, and then that's where just took off from there, catching my first waves over at Surfrider and I just.

Yeah, I've just been drawn to it. I was never a team sport. I'm an only child. So I noticed a lot of like only children kind of gravitate towards like solo sports more. I was never really into team sports. So I really liked the, the solo illness and like the being by yourself, the meditativeness that surfing is when you're, by yourself, in the ocean with your own thoughts and your own capabilities to get, put you in and get you out of situations.

So I really, I was gravitated towards, like how difficult surfing can be, when learning surfing or learning any new sports in the ocean. Yeah. And then how did you get into foiling? So my, so I met my husband like 10 years ago and he's. He's one of those really kinds of people that is how do I describe it?

He's just, he reminds me of an older version of Kane where his brain is like, always thinking of so mechanical and thinking of like different things to do. And like just expanding like what you can do, even if it seems like difficult or impossible, he's always come coming up with ideas on things that we should do that a few years later, like everybody's doing it.

And he's, he got me into dirt biking and kite surfing until five years ago. He he's look at these videos of, people foily, but actually in fact, like 15, 20 years ago, no people were Tofoya late. They had these old foils and we were, we didn't have a bunch of friends that used to do this old, this foiling, like from a long time ago, these old Hattie foils where you're like, boots, you're, you're strapped into these boots, it wasn't very attractive at that point.

But five years ago is when he started, foiling just started with a lot of some of the professional surfers, like Kailani. And he's- we need to do this! And I was like, I don't know. I really liked surfing the way it is, going out on my gun when it's bigger or shortboarding, and I'm like that just, I don't know.

I wasn't sold on it at all, but he just went ahead and he bought foils from this kite surfing company. And they were like these big, heavy foils. They were like, they were so heavy. And I can't remember the name of it. You said it and they were so happy. And I was like, I'm still don't know about this.

And We have a jet ski and he was like no, it was really great. We got to do this. And we went out so many sessions trying to figure out foiling on these big, heavy. And most of the time we did not do that well. But we had fun with it. We laughed about it. We enjoyed how difficult it was and how bad we were.

We just kept doing it. And and then the summers around here on the North shore of Oahu can get extremely hot and extremely flat. And you can spend your time in the mountains, like mountain biking or dirt biking, but I decided I wanted to like why not, I'll try and bring my foils down to the beach and try and foil.

And this is when no, not really anybody else was foiling over here. And I would just go down to sunset beach and I used to started teaching myself to foil on these big, heavy, clunky foils. Yeah, like three years ago, I think. And I slowly got into it, I've been, I like, I spent so many hours surfing in the water.

I'm really good at paddling and catching waves. So it was I caught onto it pretty quickly. My husband, not so much, he hates surfing and crowds. So he's, he doesn't spend a lot of time like prone surfing in any capacity out here because it just it's gotten really crowded out here. So he didn't really pick up on the prone foiling as quick as I did.

But no, I really enjoyed it. I really just enjoyed how difficult it was. I know that's weird. It sounds weird, but I like it. I enjoy the the challenge. And everybody else is longboarding and I'm like, I'm going to do this foiling thing because it's fun when I make it to my feed.

I'm able to glide a little bit. And yeah. And then, I don't know. I think the next foil we got was maybe an Armstrong. Like I, it's all kind of a blur, the whole learning process. So I'm just scrolling through your Instagram account here on Instagram, your ocean, baby ocean underscore, baby.

And this is some older stuff, but I guess you had, you got a baby Macaw.

We got it from an egg and we put it in an incubator and we hatched it. Oh, wow. Yeah. And we live up in the mountains on the North shore. And so she was a free flying and this is another one of those crazy ideas. My husband has more than I'm not really sold on this idea of, he just goes out and does it anyways. So he brings us MCI and home. We had shit, we raise this baby in the car and when it starts flying, we decide we don't want to keep it in a cage because they're like so magnificent. And we're like, it's going to be our free flying Macaw.

And so we let it outside and it's just like flying all over the North shore. It all, it came home every night. Wow. Yeah. I came home every night. It slept inside. We had a perch for it and its own room. And like a ma I swear, half of the North shore knew this parrot. Her name was Bob Barela. And and that's right when I was getting into foiling with her.

And we had her for about two years and she went to everybody. She visited everybody that lives up in the mountains, on the North shore, the whole neighbor door. She just land on everybody's patio and talk to them. It was really stressful dogs, packer, but she ended up passing away. After two years, she did decide to sleep outside one night.

And in Hawaii we do have, a month out of the year that it does get really cold up in the mountains. And I she passed away in a tree and overnight, and I think she got hyperthermia, unfortunately. Yeah. And we were never able at, when we had her, it was like having a child. We couldn't do anything late at like into the afternoon hours because we needed to be home to make sure she came home and, get her in the house and get situated.

So we always say that I probably wouldn't, we wouldn't have become that obsessed with foiling if she was still alive, because, with having a child, we were like paid so much attention to her. And it was like, so heartbreaking when we lost her, we were so crushed. And the first thing we did the day we found her, cause we were just like sobbing and we were so upset.

And the first thing my husband said is, Hey, let's go towing, toiling, toe foiling, make the ski and go out because we haven't been able to, stay out until dark before. And it was like our way to heal ourselves. And that was exactly what we did. We loaded up the ski and we went toiling and and then it just became this obsessive toil craze where we were just going out all the time on the jet ski toilet.

And I, I. I'm pretty sure. My husband coined the term toiling. So is actually your husband's Zach that got you into foiling. He was like, yeah, but then I like progress because I surf so much more than him. He's more into dirt bikes and now he's trying to keep up with you, huh? Yeah. So for, in foiling, like I progressed so much faster than him.

So then I became obsessed with it, but he really enjoyed it because it was a way for you to go and get in the ocean where we weren't, in all these crowds you could go to places that weren't the wave wasn't that great. Or you could be inside of people and have fun and didn't have to deal with the crowds.

And so that was a major game changer. Okay. So that picture on the left. So we took our honeymoon and into the mental wise can Dewey. And if you've ever been there, it's some of the best. Finest easiest waves on the plane. And at night it's you're certainly like your dream. And so we're planning this trip and I'm so excited and he's Oh, we got to take the foil.

And it was like, you're crazy. We're going to the best waves on the planet. And you want to bring this clunky? I was like, I was so mad because I didn't want to bring any boards. I just wanted to use their boards down there. I didn't want to deal with traveling with boards and he's no, we're bringing it.

We're bringing it in. So we bring, our big foil board and our big foil to the best waves on the planet. And we ended up having so much fun over there because the owner of the resort let us use the ski. And so we were like towing in, into foil ways over there. I think if you scroll up, you will see my first, some of my first toe in waves were at Cannes Dewey at this place called four bogs.

I don't know when and you brought your bird with you? No, we face time, sir. It's so cool that she could fly for you and every story, right? That's so cool. It was so cool. And it was so much education having a, your own McCall like that, that I realized that parents shouldn't be held in captivity.

They shouldn't be pets because there's just such smart, intelligent animals. And that people can never give them the life they deserve. They need to be out flying. And so now I'm like this huge advocate or parents shouldn't be pets and I'll never make that mistake again, taking them a call. So the video are you talking about?

Is that one of these here? I think it's up actually put, ended up posting it a lot later if you want. I can Should I let you take over a baby. As an egg, basically, you got, so you were the parents really before the birth. Okay. So tell us about this wave. So this was one of the first times we tow foiled was in canned Dewey on our honeymoon.

This was like one of my, what is this? 2018. So what's that three years ago, this was at four Bob's, first learning about tow and foiling or toiling and what a magical place that places can Dewey. This big board, this big clunky foil at Yeah for Bob's, which is like this amazing.

Right-hander like super easy. Every wave is exactly the same. And yeah, by the, I think I think I kinda got the hang of it better than my husband at this time. And I was like, Oh yeah, now I get this, you just ride the swells. This makes perfect sense. And my husband is such a Motorhead, so he loves things.

Like I said, he's more of a dirt biker, but he loves things with engines. And so every moment's notice we were free, he'd be like, want to go on a jet ski, you want to go toilet? I'm like, geez, like you want to do it this much. And he's yeah, of course. Why not? And motocross to you, you were doing a lot.

Let's like we did trials. So motorcross is you have this big bike and you're like going around a track doing jumps. So we do Trials, which is a dirt bike with no seat. Again, like he finds is the weirdest hardest ways we can do activities. And he's that's what we should do.

So we have, we were students way down here. See how obsessed I got with foiling. It just took over my Instagram. Yeah. You post a lot on Instagram. It's just amazing. Like how many times a week do you usually post? What do you say? Like honest every day. It depends what I'm doing. I just friends with people that always take pictures and it's so cool.

It's such like a, a memory bank for yourself where, we're only going to be this young one, so might as well. I can't even find my trials pictures anymore, but they're basically dirt bikes with no seats. And on the North shore, the mountains here, the dirt biking and mountain biking is as good as the surfing is, it's like the best in the world.

And trials, bike, enables you to go anywhere basically where big motocross bikes can't go. And I can't even find them anymore. Oh, there's the egg is hatched. Huh? There's some bikes. Those are chickens. We farm chickens. Do. Yeah. So trials, bike.

Okay. Yeah. So you're not never sitting down. Really? Yeah. So it's like my mountain biking. It's like downhill mountain biking with a two 5,300 CC two stroke engine. So Lee, you can go uphill with the same fat in the same style as you would go. Downhill mountain biking super fun. But then yeah, when foiling came around it took over and I stopped dirt biking for a few years.

And I just recently, now that I've had a baby I'm just recently getting back into trials and we've been riding and it feels good to mix it up, foiling, I think for a lot of people who started foiling, it took over our. Our brains where it's all you wanted to do. But it's nice to get back into a different sport again, it's not the only thing.

Yeah. Okay. So then I guess you started toe foiling and then prawn foiling. And then how did you progress into wing for them? I, so I am a financial advisor and I have an office in Maui. Also. I have a partner over there and so I would go to Maui every couple months. To work with clients and work at the office over there.

I'd stay there for about a week or so. And, before I went to Maui, I wouldn't bring a surfboard cause the surf's not great over there most of the time. And then when boiling came around, I was like, Oh my gosh, this changes my business trips all together. Now I can bring my foil and there's so many places to boil over there.

And I, I kite serve too, but I never caught it over there, but I'd go check out like, who Keepa, like what was happening? And it caught on. And I had a client that was like telling me, she was like, this wing boiling thing. She had some people, she knew, some people that were getting into it.

She's it's going to take off. And I was like I don't know about that. But then I went to whole Keepa and I saw some of these first guys that were whinging. Oh, what's that right? Caught that. It Hokies over to the side. And it was like double overhead and they were just killing it and I was.

And not many people were winging yet. This was like two years ago and I was like, Oh, okay, now I get it. And this makes perfect sense to me. I was like, this is towing. You are basically towing in on your foil, but you are yourself, the jet ski and like how kite surfing is, you're your own jet ski.

And and I went, when I got back to a wahoo, I told my husband, I'm like, we gotta do this. I'm like this winging thing, I'm finding a wing and you can even find a wing, like nobody was selling them. They were like out before you could even buy one. And so I ordered, this was my first one, this wing ride to Kuma that I got.

And I didn't even know how to use it, but I just knew, I was like, I know I have to do this sport. And so my husband came with me to Maui. The next time I went and I was like, we got to learn this. And he was like, honestly, he's it's the stupidest thing I've ever seen. And he's a tight surveys and cutting like 20 some years and he wind surf.

And then I brought him to hokey-pokey and we watched those same guys, like in some pretty big surf. And he was like, okay, now I get it makes sense. And then, so we came back to a wahoo and I connected with Christian I don't think, Christian one Maui days, his Instagram, and he came to a wahoo.

So he came to Weill who one day today, I think hanging out with you guys or some of the South shore wahoo crew that wanted to learn to wing. And I was like, Christian you're in Oahu. Great. I was like, can you come teach me too? And so somebody drops him off at the airport and I go to the airport and I pick him up and we go straight to Kailua and I was like, okay, let's do this.

Teach me how to wing. And that was my first day that picture Christian took where he showed me, like he showed me just a few simple things right off the bat. And I still do that same exact start today on almost no matter what board I'm on. The knees start, holding your hands to the side and right.

Actually, yeah, walk us through that. Because a lot of people are starting out and you need help with that. Can you walk us through exactly how you start. Yeah. And like I noticed so many people don't get any pointers and it takes them forever. And like the simplest things, when I show people it like clicks and they get it pretty quickly.

But yeah you always have the wing on your wrist, the Alicia, your is to never do anything without it on your wrist, crawl on the board, get on your knees. Don't worry about the wing it's on your wrist. You don't need to think about it. Just make sure it's downwind from you, crawl on your knees, hold the rails of the board, get super comfortable and then grab that leash and start pulling it in and then put, grab the front handle that's on that middle strap there and then grab the back handle.

And the key that I think a lot of people miss is they're trying to. Hold it straight down wind and their body is straight down when, and you don't want to hold it like that instead, you really, what Christian showed me is that, like that angle, right? With your arms and your back where you want to like twist.

And when you do that, what happens is you pushes your board up when, and when I show people that when I'm there to show people that it like clicks and it really helps everyone, everything come to gather, but it's holding it like this. And so this was my first day and I would just hold it like that as hard as I could.

And right then you'll see the wind will catch it and you'll start pointing sort of up wind and start moving. And this nice start I did when I was nine months, 10 months pregnant. And it was so easy that that is something that I could do pretty easily being pregnant. And then you just put your front foot up and then your back foot up, and then you're standing.

Yeah. That's pretty much how I do it too. And even on a smaller board, you can still start that way. Yeah. There's the thing about learning, weighing in and going through all this is at first, it feels like the most impossible thing in the world. And you're like, there is no way I'm going to do this.

Like how in the world people do this and you just need to put in a don't let it get you down. Enjoy that hardness to it. Enjoy that every fall. Because I, the first time I was on my prone board and I put my knees under me, I was like, this is impossible. But after the fifth time doing it, yeah.

I start on my knees, my board sinks a little I'm sinking more on the tail. So the nose will come up so that you don't, the nose doesn't dig in the water and same thing. I'll be w it's hard to balance on a little board on your knees, but it's totally possible do the same thing, reel it in.

Same exact thing. And it works. I find a lot of times the hardest part is getting the wing over your head. Like from when it's sitting on the water to getting it up over your head, once you have wind in the wing, then it's more stable. Yeah, there's like a few seconds where you really just have to focus and believe in yourself and be like I can,

but my husband is so funny. My husband says he's like the most uncoordinated person in the water and now he rides his prone board and he always says, if I can do it, meaning him. He's anybody can do it. And it's true. So if he can start on his prone board and he doesn't spend that much time in the water surfing, and then literally anybody can do it.

He's a really good wing filer too now. So actually I was going to ask you, what's it like to be married to a wing foiler or both? I guess both of you are SEF obsessed with foiling. Yeah. So it's funny, as I learned first, I got these lessons from Christian and my husband just looked on that's just looks so stupid.

He literally told me it looks so dumb. And then when I brought him to Maui, I gave, actually gave him lessons. I got the idea of how to go in and out. And so I taught him. And then he ended up he's this, his personality where, when he wants to do something, he just goes all out and like obsesses into it.

And he actually got better than me pretty quickly because he just obsessed over. It would keep going and going. And frankly, I couldn't find the right board for me to continue on. So I had I quit for a month or two because, equipment is everything and winging. If you don't have the right equipment, then you're just going to have a horrible time.

But he ended up getting a good board for him. And so then he just got, yeah, he got so much better than me and just started doing it way more. And when I was like nine months, eight, nine months pregnant, he's like everyday sake. I'm going winging. I'm going weighing, and I'm going winging it. And I was like, Jesus.

I was like, you can't be like this when we have a baby. And he's no. I'm just doing it now because we don't have a baby yet. And it's true. He's really good now. But it's actually really helpful because when I was nine months pregnant, I didn't feel like doing anything. Like my energy levels were so low, but I would just at least drive down to the beach and he would help me rig my stuff up because it just, I didn't feel like doing anything.

And once I got in the water, it was pretty easy. So it was, it's really helpful that he is a winger too, because he helped motivate me when I wasn't feeling that hot. And now he like, then he started doing like back wending and tax and all this stuff that I wasn't even considering. Cause I really just liked surfing mostly.

And yeah, now he's like doing all these tricks and I was like, wait a minute. I tell you how to wing it.

That's great. Yeah. Yeah. And then, yeah, I love that term toiling too. I think that's when I, the first time I saw you foiling was when you were towing for length with Zach and I was just impressed by how you, he looked. I don't know just so efficient and I dunno, like a lot of times when guys are foiling on a wave, it looks like they're just like really tense and and you just look relaxed and totally balanced between, you got the foil just like totally balanced out and just look like, so in control that I was always really impressed by your style.

Oh, thanks. It's honestly, because we spent so much time suffering. We try to tell people are like, they get so frustrated learning how to foil or learning how to wing. And I'm like, no, you don't understand how much leave time we put into suffering. People don't believe it. Right when you're a good winger already.

They're like, think that it's just as natural and no, can you maybe show us some video of yourself? Like towing foiling? Do you have anything that you can show kind of progression? Yeah. The first, yeah, that first one in canned Dewey. That was my point. And Oh yeah. I'll show you this one video. Some of my best videos is when I was pregnant because I couldn't lay down. What was that? Your mom? I just think I saw a picture of your mom.

Yes right there. Yeah. She was great from the eighties and nineties. Big hair. Yeah.

His father was a ventriloquist in Las Vegas. Oh, that's your dad. Wow. Yeah, totally not the surfing background. Yeah, I was pregnant. I couldn't lay down and serve, so I was pretty much just winging and stuff boiling and one of my chefs. Yeah. Sorry. I want to, but yeah, I saw that some of those videos of the, you swimming with the sharks while you're pregnant, that's pretty cool to watch those, but yeah, let's watch this first.

This was, I was eight months pregnant here. The water's so smooth. Yeah. It was such a beautiful day.

This was like one of such, it was not even that big. It was pretty small that day. It was only like two feet Hawaiian, but I'm just so glassy. It's snowboarding and powder and once you get the hang of foiling and it's pretty effortless. And babe, my only goal was just don't fall.

It's not a fun falling when you're pregnant. You have to be careful too. Yeah. I You can't really have heavy impacts and stuff like that. When you have you, can, you got your, my human body is pretty strong, but I don't want to, it doesn't feel good. So I just, my goal was just to be as smooth as possible.

Not do any fast jerky movements and just stay up on foil. And yeah, my husband's flying the drone actually from the beach and then that's our friend that was driving me.

Yeah. Zach does posts such nice footage with the drone, like out on the North shore. Yeah. Yeah. That's another thing. He was forcing me to buy a drone forever. He's get a drone and get a drone. And I was like, you get the drone anyways. I ended up buying it and he uses it more than me, but yeah it's fun to get footage of your friends.

So that's the long wave. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Super long. Yeah. Can't disclose where any of the spots are. Yeah, that's fine. We don't want to be able to know, but yeah, I, living in tonic, I mostly went for on this side, but every now and then I make it out there like a week ago I was out on your side and while it was fun, it was a good session.

I know. It's great. We didn't even know where we would be winging and then it just once we got into it, we were like, Oh, we can win bear and we can win there. And there, and then it just opened up so many spots where, you know, as a surfer, you'd be like, basically, it's you stay out of the water that day, but then we needed to all of a sudden, now I can wing and all these different places and just opened up the whole coast for us.

Oh, this is. Let's see, this is, I was towing again. I was like 32 weeks pregnant was what's that? Yeah. Seven or eight months pregnant. And there was a hammerhead shark.

You'll see it right there.

Like how often do you get to see a hammerhead right into you while you're foiling? Yeah, it seems like they're curious about the foil is right. The sharks. Yeah. Yeah. I know. I think the cavitation I think attracts them or something, but so this again, I was like eight months pregnant and.

I went shark diving. I didn't intend to get so close, but tiger sharks are a lot different than other, a lot of the other sharks around here, most other sharks will see you and just swim away. Tiger sharks come right up to show that video where he's like, where the sharks like opening its mouth and it's like chicken you out.

Yeah. They are like, they come right up. They are ready to touch you and say, who are you? What are you? And luckily, I had that pole, my friend said, have the poll pushed him away. So I had my camera on that poll. I wasn't scared mostly because I have so many friends that are into diving with sharks that I understand how they act.

But they come right up to you. I was like, Oh, okay. It was a huge Decker struck.

It's not aggressive, but that's how they are, they want to check you out and see what you're all up about. Yeah. It's almost like they want me to get pet petted on the nose or something again. That's, that's how they see what things are, is with their mouth. And unfortunately their mouth has big teeth can be really dangerous, but yeah, it was super interested in us.

And I was like, I think right after that, I swam back to the vote. I'm like, that's, I'm good.

Yeah. Yeah. Or scared after the fact, I was like, Oh man, that was, it was a little close for me. But like I said, they're not, I've been educated a lot about sharks and they're not They're not aggressive if you don't, you just have to behave the right way.

Yeah. Cool. And then so let's talk a little bit about, I guess obviously when you're foiling it depends on your way and so on. So when you're pregnant, obviously you gain weight. So did that change what you were using? Did you use a bigger foil? Did these a bigger, yeah, it's so funny.

My friend I'd come in from these sessions and I be complaining, I couldn't stay up on foil. And he was like you are like 30 pounds heavier. And I was like, okay. Point taken you're right. Yeah. So I did start using a bigger foil, actually the foil that my husband uses The hyper one 90, it's this high at a bigger high aspect oil.

And that's what I think I'm using here because I'm in pretty much in light wind conditions, when you're maybe jiving and going back out or something, I could just, gently tap on the front of the board and it would just keep gliding and get me through a lot of those light wind sections.

And I know it's hard to believe, but it was like, it was one of the easiest things for me to do. Being pregnant is waiting for boiling on a big foil. It was like so effortless and so low impact too. That if I, didn't know about winging, I probably would have mostly been out of the water for the last few months of being pregnant.

So it was such a blessing to have this sport, this time of my life. Yeah. That's awesome. So you were pretty much, and then after you gave birth, you were pretty much back in the water again pretty soon too, or, yeah, I got back in the water after about a month. I stayed out, which was totally, I always thought that, it'd be so hard to not serve after having a baby.

But that wasn't the case at all. I had so much fun hanging out with my baby. This is one of the first sessions that I did after getting back in the water. So my husband is filming it from the beach, holding the baby in the ergo, flying the drone. I'm out there winging. That's awesome. And I was like, Oh, it was on a small foil.

I had a small wing. I was like, Oh, it feels so good to not be pregnant, but instantly lost 30 pounds. Yeah. It was like, yeah. Yeah. I have my body back. I was like, cause frankly, you start thinking for women out there when you're really pregnant, you start thinking, you're just suck at everything because you're so big and you can't move properly.

But in fact it's just because you have a baby inside of you, extra weight. Yeah. Yeah. I got back into it and now we we'll just go to the beach to get a lot of the time. We just go to the beach together and bring all of our gear and one person goes out. Other person hangs out with the baby on the beach, and then usually he'll go out first and then come back and then rig up my gear for me.

Cause I'll be holding the baby still is he can't really up gear. He always says, wait, I want to be the one to hold the baby. And you wake up the foil and pump up the way. Yeah. So do you end up using the same wing or do you have both have your own equipment or? Yeah, we have our own equipment. He writes the uniform when wings he really likes them.

I guess they're a bit more powerful that F ones are probably like a little bit more, less powerful, but I really liked them because they are so lightweight. Yeah, the newer one, this strike that this Stripe right here, that's the newer one. It's super light. And this handles are really small. I like small handle.

Cause when the handle is a lot of other wings, they have big handles and they kinda cramped my hands holding them for awhile. So I liked the small handles and I like how lightweight the F1 is. It might not be the most powerful one. But I, I dunno for me, I think it's totally fine. So what are the differences between the original this F1 swing?

I think it's called N and then the strike would it, how did it change? So this is the original F1 Yes, swing. It's a little more flexy. And when you would be on your board pumping, trying to get up on foil, you could literally see the tips of the wings would be like fluttering and like bending.

And I'm like, it's literally almost like wings and the fluttering kind of helped generate some wind power to get you going on. Some people complained about that. I actually really liked it cause I could feel that it was like pulling in the wing and generating power. And then the new ones are stiffer and you can pump them up to nine PSI.

So they're a lot different, but they're also super lightweight. And I really love the lightweight as a female, even though I'm strong. I love that they're light because I don't get as tired holding them, whereas I've flown other wings and I just get a little bit tired after a while holding kind of a bulky wing.

So I liked the F1, but yeah, my husband's still flies the the uniform oil wind wings. So this picture actually is interesting. And so this picture was on a bigger day off, up here on the North shore of Oahu, it was like six feet Hawaiian this day. And I was nine days overdue. This was the day before I gave birth.

Yeah. My friend came down to the beach and his wife had made When do you call it cookies that supposed to help you go into labor or something. And he also took these pictures. He's don't eat these cookies unless you're ready. I'm like, I am ready. And so I grinded like 10 cookies and then I went back out for my second session that day.

He got that picture and I'm like, that's so cool. And then the next day I had my baby those cook cookies made a difference. Huh. And that's another reason why it was really windy and hairy this day. And some of the guys were having a hard time, but I was like, whatever, it takes God to have this baby I'm going out there.

I know it was just funny how that all works. Yeah. Yeah. And then I noticed once you gave birth to Raven that your Instagram feed is like now probably 80%, which is great. And she's so cute. I think you always think that, a baby is going to take away from your free time and the things you love doing.

But in fact, you just want to spend so much time with your baby and you like want to integrate them into your life and show them the things you do. And it's so exciting. Like we joke that she really likes the windiest and coldest beaches. We always bring her down to the beach when it's like prime winning conditions.

You think she actually likes that? She seems to not mind it we've been starting are really young, so she doesn't know the difference. She doesn't know that beaches are supposed to be warm and sunny.

Yeah. So one of you is on the beach with the baby, the other one's out winging, and then you switch off. Yup. It's pretty much exactly how it goes. That's awesome.

Okay. So let's talk a little bit about the your foils that you're using. And I know you started with that big clunky ride engine and then now using uniform, right? Yeah. So tell us about your your foils. Yeah. So here I can you see, are you, can you see the Unifor website right now? Yeah.

Okay. I got involved with uniform soil. That's another kind of a long story and it's related to my parrot, but anyways, they asked me to be the team writer and the distributor, and I said, Hey, why not? I'm obsessed with boiling as it is. So for towing, my absolute favorite foil is the one-fifty vortex.

It's like the surf foil. And it's pretty small, but why I like it is that it doesn't have upward pressure, the faster you go. When you go toiling, you can go pretty fast sometimes, especially, on some of the big days up, out here on the North shore, when it's like maybe six foot Hawaiian or even eight feet, you're going really fast down the face of these waves.

And. Something about the uniform oils is they don't have that. A lot of other foils, if you go faster and faster, that foils wanting to lift up and you're pushing hard on your front foot to keep it down. But the way the uniform oils are designed is they don't have that upward pressure. So they have an unlimited top speed.

And so I love them for towing. It's just so smooth. And you would think that means it only works in big ways, but in fact, I ride the same foil prone foiling when it's like one to two feet. So it works in small waves and big waves. And before I got pregnant, I was winging with it too. Cause I would wing and, large conditions where it's like a foot or so overhead.

And so I would be winging with this foil too. And when you're winging, it's windy. So the oceans bumpy and. You want a foil that can handle those bumps and cut through the chop smoothly. And it does that really well, too. So this was like my all around foil for the longest time was the vortex one-fifty I was just using it for everything.

Do you know how many square centimeters the, that is surface area projected surface area? Or does it say you're going to ask me that, I guess it's 968 square centimeters. Okay. Yeah. And my husband, he really likes it for towing too. The bottom of the foil, is it pretty much flat or does it add a little bit of a curve in the back of it?

So it's dihedral I don't think there's a picture. It shows of that. It's dihedral and, but generally it's, it doesn't have much of a curve. No. So it's pretty, pretty flat. Like now, it is low aspect, but yeah, like I guess like an Armstrong foils, like good comparison where they're like they have these big curves in them.

Actually what I meant is like the profile, so if towards the back, if it's turned down a little bit cause I know that kind of helps with the faster you go, the more kind of a downward pitch it has when you have that little bit of a, on the bottom have that. I don't know what it's called, but it's almost Oh yeah, you have one there.

Okay. Yeah. I have one. Let me see,

I did my work office and my foil storage area.

Actually take a look at it. One more vortex, one 50, but. Okay. Yeah. So it's, it doesn't have a lot of curve to the tips. It's pretty flat, but it has. Yeah. I see the dihedral and then it does look like it's on the bottom of the bottom side of the profile. It's a little bit, has a little bit of inward curve.

Yeah. Is it? I don't know. I can't see really. I have to take a closer look at it, but that's probably why it doesn't have, probably has a little bit of forward pitch when you go faster, would think, yeah. Cause I trust me, I know what for Fred pressure feels like those are those right engines, right?

Yeah. So fast speeds. Love it. I was writing that and six feet, eight foot surf, but honestly I like toilet in smaller ways. I think it's more fun. Head high, I think is like the perfect size. I don't need big waves for toiling. And when it's bigger, I think it's more fun just to tow surf or paddle ins or, something like that without the foil.

And then you said can I ask, how much do you weigh? What usually? Yeah. Yeah, usually, it changes right now. I'm like 135 pounds. And then when you're pregnant you gained about, I was like 155 when I was pregnant. And then, so which, which further do you use when you were pregnant?

You said you had still tow. Even when I was pregnant, I tow with the vortex one 50, but then when I was winking and I was like super lazy and I was like most important. I don't want to come off foil. I wrote a high aspect foil, but I wrote a bigger high aspect. I wrote the hyper one 90, wait a minute.

That's the one 50 the hyper one 90, it's one of their newer high aspects. And the glide is just. They're all the same, but the one 90 that glide is just unreal. Like it's so effortless. So in, light winds, subpar, winging conditions, I could just bounce around,

stay on foil because I just didn't have the energy to put, that much into staying on foil. And the one 90 just kept me going. And it took me like until I was like seven months pregnant to accept the fact that I needed to be on a bigger foil. And yeah, it kept me going. And even that big day, right before I gave birth and I was on the one 90, like writing, some pretty, big bumpy swells.

And it, it handled find at works and big surf too. It's like, all my husband uses his, the one 90 and he rides it and. In all sorts of conditions with how much does he weigh? 175 pounds about, yeah. For winging toilet, foiling, everything toiling. He uses that same one. No, for toiling. We're all always on the surf foil, the vortex one 50.

So he uses that as well. Yeah. What about mass length? What length? Yeah. So there's seven 50 and eight 30. So seven 50 is 29, 30 inches. That's what I use pretty much for anything. And then he uses the longer one for winging and towing. We have this whole like argument. He's it's better for winging to use a longer mass and he's right.

But I personally can't tell the difference. So I use either one, I know, one day I went out and I was like, I'm so happy. I'm using the long mask. He's you're not you're on the short mask. I was like, Oh, I can't really tell a difference, but it does help. And when you're winning to be on a longer mask, because the ocean's bumpy and so you need more gifts.

So you don't breach and same with towing. It's usually better to be on a longer mask. Yeah. Just affords you more mistakes, basically. Yeah. Yeah. And you can fly over the small chop without having to up and down so much. I find that. Yeah. Yeah. It's a lot better. Everybody that gets on a longer mask can feel the difference when you're in kind of those choppy, bumpy conditions.

Yeah. I'm the only person I'm so easy. I can get used to almost anything I'm like, Oh, whatever. And what about tail wings? Whatever you like for using for tailings? My favorite is the flat tail wing, which is the one pictured here. But I do have a lot of writers on the canes back wing. Basically almost all my uniform writers are now using canes back wing and they love it.

I haven't tried it. I don't know. I thought there was only one. I don't even know. Yeah. He has like all different ones, so yeah. Yeah, he does. They all love it. Most of my writers start off on the flat wing. And then eventually, and they'll say they love it. They'll cut it down to 14 inches is like a good length to cut it to, and then they'll get on the cane wing and they'll be like, Oh my God, it's amazing.

And now they don't go back after they get on Cain's back, laying there, like stuck on it. They never come back to a regular back wing, but Yeah. So you're the distributor for all of Hawaii or for all the Hawaiian islands. You have little warehouse in your garage or how does that work here?

In my office everywhere. And then you, do you sell them at pretty much the same prices on the website or exactly the same price. Okay, nice. Yeah, no shipping. That's good. Yeah. And like I shipped to Maui and Hawaii, but it's super cheap, right? Yeah. Yeah. What else still oil has been around like a really long time.

They're one of the first companies to do two high aspect wings, and then they sold their designs to signature. And then just like couple of years ago, foil decided they wanted to like, distribute their own brand. And so it's like new ish in terms of being able to buy uniform from a distributor wherever you live.

So not, they're not a lot of people are riding them, but the people that I do have riding that I absolutely love them. I think happy Tedford has a uniform. And I saw him the other day using a uniform when I first foil friends and him and our other friend, Johnny, and I got them on uniform.

When I became a distributor and they love them. Yeah. That's great. Yeah. And you saw the wingsuit or yeah. I don't sell wings as much. I just focus on the foils. My husband's more into selling wings to people. Cause he, he loves the uniform of wing wings. They have a lot of power and he's totally right.

They do. So that's more his arena, but mostly I just focus more on the foils. I do have like my own job. I'm a financial advisor. I have my own company. I don't want to be doing. Yeah. I don't want to be doing too many different things. So let's talk a little bit about your board. I know you have that board that has your parrot on it airbrush on it or painted on it.

Is that still the one you use is that your main board and it, can you talk a little bit about. You're bored. What you using the progression and so on? Yeah. I want to pull it up here. So it took me a while to figure out what kind of board to get for Wayne. Cause after you learn, you start off in these huge hundred plus leader boards, and then you realize that's not sustainable.

You need to be on some things smaller. And I borrowed a board from Derek Jimmy Lewis, one of his boards. And when he got a new one and I got on the Jimmy Lewis and the first day, and I was like, Oh my God, this is what I need like this, these dimensions, this shape. It's perfect. And so I brought it back to my, if here on a wahoo Gordon assets in Hawaii and I was like, These are the dimensions.

This is what we need to do for winging. Cause nobody else could tell me what to do. It was so new, like hardly anybody on a lot who was winning, but I was like, I got this Jimmy Lewis and I'm like, this is what we need to do. Can you please make me something like this copy of these dimensions and Bob Barela had passed away and he Gordon's like super artistic.

He's he loves bright colors and he his daughter's an artist and she was home because of COVID and I didn't know, but they painted Barbarella on it for me. Yeah, it was so sweet. And so I would always say like when I went out, this was one of my first sessions with it. I was like, you can see Barbarella flying with me still.

And this board was forced four, seven, four inches thick. And about 24 inches wide, I believe. And it was about probably 65, 70 liters. And it's good because balance on your knees, but it was short enough that it was super fun in the surf. You could turn it really easily, pretty much big enough to float you then, right?

Yeah. Totally big enough to float you on your knees. So that's what you want, basically, especially on a wahoo where the wind's not always that great, it's not Maui. You want something that'll float you, but you also want something small enough that you can have fun in the surf. And that it took me a bit to figure that out.

Then when I did this board, I just became obsessed with it and I wrote it for about a year up until I gave birth. And then I realized, and then it, I think I, I must've hit it too many times cause it started taking in water. Unfortunately it got a little heavy, but I got into winging with my prone board.

And yeah, the other day I saw you in the water waiting for the gust on your kind of underwater. Yeah. But it's super fun. Like when it's windy, once you're up, then it's pretty awesome. Huh? Yeah. It's like those windy days, you're like, Ooh, it's like Maui, get out. You're a little bored and now I will put, so if it's super windy, I will put straps in it and pretend I'm in Maui and do jumps and things like that.

Yeah. I see the jump. So let's talk a little bit about foot straps, like using footsteps versus going without and so on. Like what's your take on that? Yeah, so I usually don't use foot straps unless it's really windy and unless I want to jump I've cut. I kite surfed and tow surfed and we never use straps.

So I was just, I've been used to not using straps and all my sports. So the only time I decided I wanted to use straps and is when it's really windy and when I want to jump. But also if you have straps that makes it really hard to switch your feet because I go switch stamps when I'm winging it.

If I don't go switch stance, like it hurts. Like my legs lock up and your back it's kinda tweaked. So I have to go switch dance to me. It feels good to balance your body. And if you have straps in there, it makes it hard to switch. And if you're on a prone board, there's not even room for another strap.

But if you want to just switch stance. So I do, like I said, I do put straps in, but usually only when it's really windy and when I'm trying to do jumps, so I'm still learning on how to jump good. But that is a day with straps. So you'll end up like putting this straps on and off your board regularly.

Like you take them off and put them back on, take them off. I am. Yeah. So this is a day. So what, I ended up getting a Jimmy Lewis from my friend for as a light wind board, because my Barela board just got too heavy. And so this is a day just like few weeks ago on that Jimmy Lewis sport. So yeah, no straps and I'm, I like being able to move my feet around.

But there's a case to be said for having straps and not having straps. Can you give some pointers on switching stance? I dunno, I learned. I learned and moved down to the smaller board pretty quickly. And I never really learned how to switch my stance. So I met you and you told me that back to a bigger board to learn it.

So I'm like, ah, sorry, is, do not start to learn without going switch. So you can't learn to wing, then go back and try to do switch. That's I don't know anybody that's done that. If you're going to learn to wing, learn, switch at the same time, if you've already learned waiting, and now you're trying to learn, switch based and just accept the fact that you're going to be horrible.

And you're going to, you're basically learning how to foil all over again, because remember learning how to foil initially it's wait a minute, front foot weight. Push really hard on the front foot. And that's what you have to train your brain to do for switch stands. And it's not going to happen immediately, but I probably put like a good week into doing it.

Like every day where it, it started clicking. But what I would do is first you ride, switch, not on foil, so don't let the foil come out of the water, put all your weight forward and just ride, switch with the board on top of that water. And then when you're ready to come up, let weight off your front foot, come up and then push it back down.

Don't try to come up and start gliding because your body doesn't know how to do that yet. You need to teach your body. So come up, push it down, come up, push it down. And you're like training your brain to go switch and you're training your front leg. And then. If you do that enough, you'll fall a few times.

You will figure it out. But I know a lot of people just don't want to put that effort into it, but if I don't go switch my back, my, my leg cramps up my back hurts. So you get used to it, I guess like my hips used to always be sore for a minute, but now it doesn't bother me anymore. And I could go up when pretty steep going by twisted up.

But yeah, I don't know. But and then the other thing is like switching your stance while you're up on foil. Is there like what's your trick to doing that? First be really comfortable going switch before you even try that. And then if you are comfortable going switch. What I found with so much of winging and all these different tricks tax and jumping and everything is the biggest obstacle is like in your own mind.

And if you like overthink things too much, then you're going to psych yourself out and convince yourself that you can't do it. And the, I, when I want to go switch, basically what I do is I wait until I go over a little lump and the nose of the board comes up and I'll just, and, but the biggest thing is just do it without overthinking it.

And then the quicker you do things and just know that it's, you might fall a few times, but don't overthink it. And the more I don't overthink things, the easier they are to just do them. I know it's easier said than done. Yeah. I just started doing, just start hopping back. If you can go switch Sanchez.

Just hop to start hopping and put your feet the other way. And eventually it'll just start clicking. Yeah. Yeah. The last interview I did was with Kendall wild and really liked what he, the way he put it was I guess he likes to really get technical in his mind and think about how everything works and stuff and be in that state of mind before he gets on the water.

But then once you're doing it, you just have to let your body hat make, or let it happen basically. Or, your body automatically takes over and you just look where you want to go. And so maybe talk about that. Like when you get into the, when you're really into it and just everything's just clicks and you're in tune and no wrong yeah.

Sorry, go ahead. How many, so many athletes they talk about that, like you, you have to envision it and, think about that. I think that's what came things is he has to understand the mechanics. And I probably I'd probably go through that in my head too. You have to envision see yourself doing it, but then yeah, once you're on the water like you don't need to think about that anymore.

Just become one with the ocean, just be so happy that you're out there and take in the glory of it all, whether or not you're ripping or killing it, that doesn't matter. And just go with the flow. And if you want to do a jive, you want to switch your feet. You want to jump, just just do it.

Don't overthink. It just embrace the place you're in. And what I see is so many people get so upset. They get so frustrated when things go wrong and don't worry about it supposed to be hard. If it's the, wouldn't be fun, if it wasn't hard, just have fun. And the whole process of trying and falling.

And yeah, that's what I do. I just go out, like, when I was pregnant, it was just one side. It'd be up on foil. I'd be like, Oh, all my worries are gone. And you just do your best. And when you think you want to switch your feet or jumped, just don't think about it. Just say I want to jump and just do it.

You might not make it. It's okay. So that's the attitude I take with all my sports is, it's going to be hard. It's going to suck, but enjoy that part of it. Yeah. So do you have any tips to get into that, right? That state of mind where you're just enjoying it and then you're in the moment and you're not like getting mad at yourself for not being good enough or something like that.

It's appreciate appreciation, like appreciating where you are, that you even have the opportunity to like, have a wing in your hand, like we're so lucky, like in America we can do these things and just appreciating that you get that experience. So many people don't get to do the things we do.

So I think it just comes down to appreciation mostly.

I like that. So are you are you working on any new tricks or like what's your anything you're trying to pull off that you're not that good at yet or any so while I was pregnant, my husband's like, when are you going to do attack? And I was like I don't want to fall right now because I'm really hassle me every day.

When are you going to do it to act? And I'm like, okay, now I'm learning to do attack. I'm not pregnant. So I started doing tax, but I I do come, you have to wait until it's no, the right situation where you're like all, when you come out of a wave and you're almost tacking or the wind, so off shore that it's makes it just so easy to tack.

What's your stance before you tack or after you tack? It depends. It depends which way you're going. Yeah. So I guess if I'm tacking, if I'm going back out to see all B I haven't switched my stance, so I'll still be tweaked. And then you like tack into a wave and then you're still in your regular stance.

But then, on the other side of the Island, everything's obviously right. So just, but he's always gives me a hard time that I'm not into learning tricks. Cause I'm such like a surfer, like I want to serve mostly more than anything. But yeah, so I'm starting tax. Sometimes I get them sometimes they don't and then I stopped jumping too while I was pregnant, because that's probably not very safe when you're really racing.

So I've gotten, I'm starting to get back into jumping and I want to learn to, hang like Annie star is she's so inspiring. But we just don't get the same wind that they get. So we don't always have those strong gusts to be able to jump. And then watching you jump how you do a cut back and then you kinda jump as you're doing a cut back.

I've saw you do that the other day. And I was like that. I need to learn that, jumping a lot of it is like turning into the wind. So you kinda, that way you get more hang time, the more you can. Go up when in your jump, the more you can hang in the wind wing and the softer the landing is too, and you don't definitely don't want to jump just like straight with the sideways to the winter going downwind.

Cause then you have no more pressure once you're up in the air. I don't know. But yeah, that works really well on the North shore because I can jump in my regular stance on the wave and that's super fun actually. Yeah. So that's, that was, yeah. I kept seeing you do those. I was like, Oh, okay.

That's how I learned. Most things it's just watching other people. It was like, Oh, I'll just try and copy what they did. Yeah, no, it's actually, that's a good way to learn, to tack, to just go behind someone that's attacking him. Just try to do exactly what they did. Yeah. Don't think about it. Just say, Oh, that looked easy.

I'll try it. Have you taught other people how to wing foil and like what's your process or what do you do to teach others how to get through? I've taught a bunch of people how, and I'm like, I'll go in the water and I'll hold the board so they can get on their knees. So I really drill that whole getting on your knee thing and then holding the wing, like that is super important.

And just that couple of basic little things are super important. And then my most favorite way, and not everybody agrees with this, but my favorite way to teach people how to wing is to take them on a really long down winder. So they can just fall their way down when, for five miles. So I taught my friend, my one friend like this, and by I think it was like five, six, seven miles.

And like the last mile he started getting it. He fell for the entire time until the last mile. And then he was like, Started going back and forth. And I was like, I, yes, I knew it. I knew this was a good way to teach people. Yeah. That's actually how we learn to like Derek comma and Jeff Chang. And I, we just did like Hawaii Chirons instead of, we were always trying to do it on windy days with a paddle, stand up foiling and it was so hard.

And then with the wing, it was hard too in the beginning, but then once you get it, it's so much easier when you have the wing than trying to do it with a paddle, and just being able to not have to worry about staying up wind and just going downwind. And so you just, cause you have to get.

To the end. So you just figure out how to do that. And I, the most important thing is to have a positive attitude because you will fall a thousand times. And I, every I'd come by my friend each time, like you, okay. I need a big smile on his face. He's I'm fine. I'm like perfect. By the end, he got it.

So yeah, if you can find a place to do a long downwind or somewhere where it's safe, you're not getting blown out to sea. That's optimal because yeah. It can be a struggle trying to stay up when you're first learning. Yeah. That's a good tip. I like that. But as long as you, as long as you can get back and maybe have someone who can help, go with you, that can keep an eye on your insulin, do it alone.

Like I'm always I'm always willing. Anybody wants to learn and I'll do a down winder with you. I always say that to people and I'll just be with them, and I'll bring my cell phone and a Fanny pack. And just make sure they make it back to the beach. And then I'll just have fun doing circles around them.

Yeah. Yeah. That's great. We have such a great flow community here on the wahoo too. It's everybody's so just how everyone's having fun and open and it's not I guess shortboarding can be so like I dunno, so competitive and yeah. It's almost like playing chess where people try to like, or psych each other out and stuff like that, where you're trying to get the next wave and try to like outmaneuver everyone else to be able to catch the next wave and stuff like that.

And wing flailing is like totally different where it's just not like that. No, it's, we're like so stoked when our friends on our wave and like teaching people, everybody wants to help each other. Yeah. And surfing is so such an one of my, my, my husband stopped because it's so like aggressive and angry.

I'm better than you kind of mentality. And so that's why I really, I think during this interview he laughed, he like took off to go winging. Yeah. But I guess if wing for lane all of a sudden there's 10 times as many wing filers on the water. It might be a little bit different again, too.

But I think right now it's just yeah, everyone's just having fun and everybody knows each other. And we have this WhatsApp group and everybody's like posting, Oh, it's windy here. It's windy here or whatever. And there's waves and this and that. So everyone's just like sharing all the information, which is, I think it's awesome.

So opens up so many more places, where, there's so many places you can go we haven't even touched so many places you can probably wing. That's true. And that's, what's so cool too, about being on an Island is that, there's always, it's always side shore somewhere or onshore somewhere.

And like there's waves on one side or the other side usually, or, you can like, yeah. And you can get pretty much anywhere in an hour. So I'd say that's pretty awesome about a wall who, that we have so many spots that are right. And he's got so many options. So I just don't see getting crowded.

Yeah. And the open ocean is just if you, like you said, if you'd just doing downwinders and writing open ocean swells, there's really no limit to how many people can do it. It's like really there isn't. Yeah. That's what I love about it. That kind of brings us to like what do you see for the future?

Like how you think Wing's gonna progress and what do you see for any ideas for equipment and just progression and so on? What do you see for the future? Pre foiling, like kite surfing was like the wind sport, and every most surfers you talk about kite surfing and they're like not interested in it at all.

They're like, so not into wind sports, but winning. I have, I now see my friends that are surfers that are like, Oh, that looks cool. Like now they're interested in wind sports. I don't know. There's something about winging, just like less lines and equipment that just makes it, I think a little just like easier for Yeah, for a surfer to get into.

So I think too it's sorry to interrupt you, but I think part of it is that is this foiling is so accepted by surfers because, even guys like John, John will go foiling, surf, foiling. And and then I think once you get that, you get cooked on that foil feeling and then just being able to have a wing in your hand and go back out without having to paddle.

It's just it totally makes sense. I think once you experience that thrill of foiling, then the wing is like a natural progression, right? Yeah. So I think it's going to bring in way more people than previous wind sports did. So I see more people. I have friends asked me about it, like all the time what do I need to do?

What kind of equipment, how do I get into this? So I think it's going to attract a lot more people, which I think is great because. Most of the North shore, I think you can wing. And most of us are just winging usually one or two spots. And I think the equipment is going to get more efficient. So for foils, like I think high aspect for winging is I think a great foil.

So I think we're going to be moving more into high aspect for winging. Cause it's just so easy, you get up on foil so easily and then you're like flying so easily. The boards are going to get lighter, light lightness is like the key to everything and oily and the lighter, the better.

And then same with wings. So I think as the technology improves like material for wings, I think if we can make them lighter and lighter, that will make it everything more efficient and just an easier so yeah, lightness is the key. And then for foils more high aspect. Yeah, I agree with you that a light wing is really nice, I've been using like the access spoils are pretty heavy, but I liked the way it feels really solid in the water.

It sucks to carry it, but a water having a heavy, heavier foil to me I don't know, I've changed my mind on it. I don't think the lightness is as important as a lot of people think it is, that's just my opinion. I don't know. That's just, and you're probably right. Like I said, I'm a small female and I can ride the smallest foil and the biggest foil, like really what does weight really matter at the end of the day?

Maybe a little bit when you're learning, but at the end, it lad, it matters actually less and less. So I agree what you're saying. Yeah. But it is nice to have lightweight gear, especially if you have to carry it. Yeah. Yeah. You're walking down the beach of the wing in one day on your foil and the other.

For sure. Nice. Let's see. I guess we already talked some about, so much stuff. Thanks for spending the time. But let's talk a little bit about your, just like your life, like what's a typical day in your life on the North shore. Like what, or, just an average day, what do you do at first thing in the morning?

And then how do you spend your day? I am a new mom, so my average morning is trying to get more sleep and get up at night. Anytime, anywhere from one to seven times. No, she's pretty good. Where is she right now? She's at grandma's house. I was like, I'd love her to have me here, but she said distracting.

So you know, it used before baby we'd get up and sometimes crack it on the jet ski pretty early, but now it's just, getting up, playing with her and I'm a financial advisor. So I do work Monday through Friday because the markets are open five days a week. I have an in-home office and then I have an office in Honolulu.

I just split it about half and half going into the office or being here. And that's about an hour drive for you, right? To get into you, go into town or more. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. It's not that bad. I enjoy it. And gosh, when foiling came around, I was like boiling my brains off in Honolulu.

So yeah, hanging out with her and then, start working, give her to my husband or her grandparents and then, markets close 10, 11:00 AM. And then I'll work til maybe two o'clock and then guess what happens in the afternoon, the wind starts. So then we start making plans for how we're going to get down to the beach, all three of us and getting all our gear.

And we usually end up at the beach, three, four o'clock and we start doing our training.

The person goes the other than the other person comes in and goes, and that's a typical day for us. We haven't toiled since we had the baby. It's just not that we can't, but I just don't want to be away from her. So it's a kind of a long time to rig up a jet ski and everything and go down. So you don't have a baby carrier for the jet-ski yet, or my husband, you can say that at what age can she drive us on the street?

Probably a few more years. So we haven't toiled since we had baby. And I'm fine with that. I've toiled so freaking much when I was pregnant that I'm okay with a break. And so it's mostly just a lot of winging now, and now we're going into summer, so there's not really going to be much surf. So I imagine we'll be doing a lot of downwinders and I've gotten back into dirt biking.

Some afternoons, if the wind's not good, then we'll go dirt biking up in the mountains up here, and then grandma watch his baby and we'll go dirt bike together. So awesome. And so like a lot of times mothers with young babies, like the rule is to sleep whenever the baby's sleeping. Is that what you try to do?

Or the daytime napper? I'm a really go person. So I don't know how to an app during the day, so that doesn't work. But so you tried to go to bed early, like when

I'm such an old lady like that now, right? Oh, you have to, you have to get your rest whenever you can, yeah. Yeah. But it's so fun and it's so fun to watch her grow up and we have all these toys and she's so lucky. I'm so jealous. She's going to get to do everything. So how has the pandemic effected your life?

Has it, has changed much for you or is it pretty much just life as normal? No, it changed a lot. I stopped going to Maui and doing business over there because we couldn't fly really. It was just, difficult to fly. I was really scared when the pandemic happened, cause I am, I work in finance and I saw people lose their jobs, portfolios go down.

So in the beginning it was super scary and my heart went out to everybody that lost their jobs. And how it affected so many people. I started, I when I was first got pregnant, so I started working from home. So that was like a, an, a positive for me. But my, my firm, we, we adjusted to it and I've if anyone knows the stock market came roaring back after, the initial drop.

So the markets are doing well to what it hurts for me. Cause I'm always dealing with people's lives, their livelihood. And so it was really sad to see, people lose their jobs and just having to deal with that. My life hasn't really changed much, except I work from home more, which kind of was really nice when I was pregnant.

And now that I have a baby, but mostly effects on clients. Yeah. So for your job, do you do do you help people like build their portfolio or is it like the 401k plans for small businesses or what kind of stuff do you do? Mostly, I do all of that. So my specialty is retirement planning. So I work with individuals and also small businesses, but mostly individuals to help build their retirement portfolio and then make a plan for when and how they're going to retire and how much money they're going to have in retirement and how long it's going to last and all these things and making sure that they're protected.

And, if catastrophic events happen to them. So this is exactly what I do. I'm working with like regular people every day with their life savings and, helping them to enjoy their life because we only get one shot at this. So I want people to retire and be happy and have fun. And I have.

A handful of surfer clients and that are older and they love surfing. And I'm like, that's what I want you to do. I want you to spend your money and go on trips and have fun. Yeah. Sometimes you go, it seems like they just work so hard and don't really enjoy life so they can retire at some point.

But then by the time they retire, they can't really do stuff anymore. So it's important to remember that, to learn while you're young, still right. To take mini retirements throughout your life too. Yeah. So I think that's a good like I always like to ask that question, so many people are, were struggling during the pandemic, feeling lonely, anxious, depressed, whatever.

And so I just wanted to. No, throw that question at you too. What do you do to stay positive? And then also, as wing filers, everyone always says, Oh, I just get on the water and then I feel better automatically. And that, of course we know that always works, but if let's say you can't get on the water, for whatever reason.

And what would you know, how do you stay positive or keep keep a positive outlook? Yeah, this was, I saw that question. You ask people and I'm like a loner anyways. I really enjoy being by myself and like thinking in my own mind. So anytime, like if I can't get on the water there's, I just I sit in my house and I like, think of all the different things that, problem solving that needs to happen in my house.

Maybe it's like fixing something or a project out in the garden or. There's just, I just work on things like at home. Like I love like thinking of what needs to be done, in my life, just around me and how to work on it. And I personally really like isolation. Some people are really social and I know that was hard for people when things shut down.

But I just, yeah. To think about what I have going on around me and how I can make things better. And sometimes that's just like cleaning my house and I get joy from that. You're not a procrastinator then, so would you say being we, I think we're all addicted to foiling that sensation of flying a foil and just getting out on the water and it's just such an awesome feeling that you we're hooked on it.

So what would you say there's a downside to that kind of addiction to that feeling. Is there a dark side? Gosh, man, I was one of the most addicted people ever. Like I, I feel like I took this to the extreme where I basically stopped surfing, which is fine. That's not the bad part of it, but I was, boy, I'd go to work and everyday I'd get off work in Honolulu and I'd go foil for three hours.

And I lost like 10, 15 pounds. I got really skinny. I think this happens to a lot of people. They lost weight and for some people it was great. And I was like, Oh, I'm ripped. But I think I was like not eating because I was like, I was between work and foiling. It's like taking up all my space and I did lose a bit of weight.

So now I've come back and I'm like, wait, I actually like other sports as well. So it did, it became super obsessive for me. Not that's bad, but I don't think it was sustainable over the long term. I got to the point where I was like, I should probably gain a little bit more weight and can get back to normal.

Yeah. But in terms of like other people, did anyone like tell you what are you doing with your life? Or no, anything like that? And people were like pretty, everyone was pretty interested in it and thought it was funny. Honestly, the best thing is it got my husband back in the water. He essentially stopped surfing and foiling, got him back in the water and got in paddling again.

And I was like, so happy to see that because it's so crowded over here on a wahoo. And you're just like, I don't want to battle with all these people. And for me it was a blessing to see them get back in the ocean because I'm so in love with the ocean. So I think for us, it was pretty, pretty good.

Like it I'm so happy to see him having fun in the ocean. He used to just be in the mountains all the time, dirt biking. So it's like I have him back in the water with me. Yeah. He obviously enjoys it very much as well, so

that's great. All right. Let me see. Oh, did you watch any of the other interviews that I did on the blue planet shows? And what did you have any takeaways? So I, I watched Kane's a little bit, it's so funny. I was like, I don't know him that well, but every time I go to Maui, I just like always happened to see him or surf with him or wing with him a couple of different times.

Yeah, my takeaway is God, he's getting older, fast. He's so young. Every time I see him, he's like growing up. He is such a young kid, but he's there's so much up in his brain. It's such a brainiac. Yeah. Yeah. And just to see him how he's grown through foiling and now he's like making his own tails and it's just really cool to see young people that have such like these passions with building things.

I enjoyed that and then There was the other one with, I think, yeah, Alan cardies he, I met him when I was learning to wing and I was teaching my husband how to wane over there. And so just listening this picture of him doing the starfish that you have. I remember when he was like first learning that trick.

And I think it was when I was over there a couple of years ago. And so I was like, Oh, I know him. I met him. Somebody, I don't know if it was him, but somebody let us use their board. I think it might've been Allen to teach my husband. Cause everyone just hangs out at KA. Right when they're yeah, we need over there.

So it's just cool to like, to see these people that I always see. And I used to see in Maui that I don't see anymore. Cause now always the epicenter of it. Yeah. Cool. So is there any, anything else you want to talk about or actually do you want to thank anybody for supporting your passion and like anyone helping you out or sponsoring you or supporting you?

Let's see. Gosh, so much. My, probably my husband for pushing me to foil, even though I was such a naysayer, I was like ragging on foiling so much. And now I'm just, I got into it so hard. So just. To keep pushing me and saying no, we need to do this. We need to do this. And me finally being like, okay, fine, we'll do this.

And then just meeting uniform loyal and like learning so much about foils and high aspects. And so that was really cool as such a chance meeting with uniform oil. And now I'm the distributor. And now I, I can use all these different foils. And what I've realized is you need a quiver.

Yeah. So I feel super lucky too, to be able to have that quiver now and understand all the different foils. Now you're a dealer. You're like a drug dealer, right? Exactly what I tell people. I'm like, yeah, have a drug try a little bit. So they get hooked and then you can sell them in big gear. That was quiver.

Yeah, I don't do it for the money though. I just do it for fun. Yeah. Yeah. It's fun to make money with it, but yeah. It's really hard. Yeah. That's okay. And plus, yeah the stuff kinda gets, the development is so quick that, every time you buy a new wing, like six months later, there's something better out there.

So it's hard to keep up with the latest and greatest, but yeah, actually, let's talk about that a little bit. Like how important is it to have the right equipment or, what would you tell people, do you need to always be on the latest and greatest, or can you just totally don't need to be on the latest and greatest I there's so many people that like jumped from the next level, the next one to the next foil.

And then you see people that completely rip on some of the original Gofoil gear. And so while there is something to be said for new foils and new foil design, you don't have to get the newest stuff and the most expensive stuff at all. I actually I love that I can use like the same foil for so many different sports.

So if you can't afford to get the best in the quiver, is okay, he really, you don't have to do that. But some of us foil freaks, we like to do. Yeah. And there's something to be said too, for just using the same gear that you're used to, instead of always switching things up. But then Kane was saying in the interview too like he likes to try lots of different things and it helps them improve too, because he understands better what the differences are and how things work and things like that.

So I think there's something to be said for both, in terms of like how much of your skills would you say are natural abilities and talent and so on and how much of it is this like hard work and practice and deliberate, training and practice? Oh my gosh. It's like mostly hard work.

I'm from the desert. I didn't learn to surf when I was little, like I suffered so much and I think that's what people need to remember when they want to get into some of these. Challenging sport because it's a really tough learning curve. And it's putting in that time with anything you want to succeed in life, like there's no, there's, it's natural abilities, not as a real thing, as you think, the people that are really good put so much time into themselves, like for example John Florence, like he's put his entire life into being the best surfer.

And so I'm not a natural surfer at all, but I've put so much time and I'm, I just have a positive attitude about sucking at things. And I'm like, okay, at being horrible out of sport at first, because I liked that challenge to try to get better. Yeah. I totally agree with that. It's a lot of it is just what you make of it and putting in the time, do you know what time on the water and trying to have fun, not.

Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Some people are too hard on themselves too, like always the F word and just like cursing at themselves for being, not being as good as they want to be, but that's like the worst kind of state of mind you can be. And I think, if you're like sometimes when I get into that kind of a frame of mind where I'm negative, I try to like, just take a breather, stop and then, okay.

Just, I want to just have fun. It doesn't matter if I suck or not, and that's really, the only way I can get out of that is by deliberately changing the way I view it. Like it goes back to appreciating just like appreciating the fact that you actually have the opportunity to be on the ocean in Hawaii doing this like weird sport with a wing and a foil.

All right. I think that's a good way to end the interview. Thanks so much for your time. I know we went. Really long, but I appreciate all your time and good insights. Yeah. That was fun. Thank you. I can't believe it's been so long. I just looked at the clock. I was like,

yeah, it'll be about an hour, but then it always goes way longer, but that's fine. I always say to at the end, like when I look at the analytics on YouTube only about, five to 10% of the people are actually still watching at the edge, like about half the people stop watching after 30 seconds already.

So like people that click on it and then they realize, Oh, it's an hour and a half long. Okay. I'm not going to watch this, but then five or 10% of the people watch the whole thing to the very end and they love it and they comment and stuff like that. So I really appreciate all those people that are still listening.

And do you have any special message for all those people that are still listening to us? Talk? Just have fun. Just. Do your best, have fun and enjoy the challenge. That's what I tell everybody. I teach to enjoy it every fall. Yeah. And just be safe and help each other out too. Like a lot of times I think, just keep an eye out for each other, we're out in the ocean and in can get dangerous.

So always good to have somebody looking out for you. Yeah, absolutely. Go out together. Use the buddy system and so on. For sure. Yeah. Awesome. Thanks so much and great talking to you and good luck with your family. Beautiful child and president and take care. I'll see you on the water soon.

Thanks Robert Glenna. Okay. Congratulations. You made it all the way to the end of another blue planet show. Thank you so much for watching. I'm super stoked. Also, last week we just went over 30,000 subscribers on YouTube, super grateful for that. I'm sure all of you who are still listening now are already subscribed, but if not, don't forget to subscribe.

Also hit that bell button. That means you'll get a notification for when we post a new video and and that way you won't miss him and you get the first week of ad-free viewing. So if you watch the show during the first week, no commercials, that's a little bonus for all you people that are still watching.

And you're really the ones who are making the show for just the 5% of the people who click on the video, who watch it all the way to the end. So you're a rare breed. Thanks so much. And don't forget to be a good role model for everyone else on the water, help each other out, help new bees. If you see someone in trouble, check on them and so we can all have fun and enjoy it together.

Be inclusive. And just have fun, that's what it's all about. So thanks again for watching. Really appreciate it. Take care. See you on the water. See you next time. Aloha. .