This incredible portrait of me by Gayle MacAllister for Faces of the Waves project here in Huntington Beach reminds me how much my life has evolved in the last couple years. 

Surfing played such a major role in that. 

If I hadn’t met a man in Bali who I fell deeply for and desperately desired to learn to surf so I could travel the world and surf with him… I might not have jumped with both feet and rock solid commitment into the ocean. 

Picking up a new sport at 34 years old was far from easy. And I didn’t even like it my first 3 months while I was showing up almost every day “just to paddle.”

But I slowly fell in love with surfing as I found myself relishing floating in a body of water and swimming with dolphins almost every day. Plus, I started getting better. 

Soon I found myself having more mental & physical balance. I felt invigorated having a sport to challenge me again and to sought more growth through the discomfort. 

After a year and a half, I committed to moving from Los Angeles (where I’d just spent a decade) down to the infamous Surf City, aka Huntington Beach. 

My relationships with my friends and myself had all transmuted and blossomed into the most beautiful versions of themselves. With surfing as an underlying driver of my joy, it paved the way for more incredible transformations everywhere I looked. 

I confronted sharks because of surfing. 
I confronted skateboarding. 
I confronted house-sized waves and scary drop-ins. 

I proved to myself that courage continues to exist just on the other side of fear. 

By courageously pushing through that fear, life has panned out in ways I would have never imagined.

I've met the most incredible friends a girl could dream of. I've been empowered by my tribe of entrepreneurs. My skills have rapidly developed. I've been given permission to step into my full power and path by witnessing it in my soul sister. The depths of who I am have expanded along with the infiniteness of the universe. 

And that growth allows me to continue to unfold how I can be of service to others.

So thank you, surfing. You mean the world to me. 

And thank you, Gayle MacAllister, for capturing this memory in time ✨