Layne Beachley + Tess Brouwer: Mental Fitness

Layne Beachley + Tess Brouwer: Mental Fitness

Author: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich - surf stories & ocean adventures October 21, 2025 Duration: 56:33
Two friends chart a path from pain to agency: Layne Beachley examines the drive behind seven world titles and finds a search for self-worth, while Tess Brouwer turns a hidden spinal injury and a hospital-bed reckoning into a mental fitness toolkit. Together, Layne and Tess are the co-authors of the book Awake Academy, wherein they share the life altering changes that shook their respective senses of purpose. Layne details the comedown from her 19-year professional surfing c...

There’s a particular kind of life shaped by time spent in and around the ocean, one that blends saltwater with a deeper perspective. Hosted by lifelong surfers and storytellers Lauren L. Hill and Dave Rastovich, the Waterpeople Podcast explores exactly that. Each conversation is less an interview and more a shared dive with guides who know the water intimately-from scientists and activists to adventurers and artists. You’ll hear firsthand accounts that stretch beyond simple adventure tales, touching on how a connection to the sea informs everything from ecological stewardship and community building to the pure, playful joy of a wave. This podcast serves as a meeting point for a far-flung tribe, weaving together themes of inclusivity, humour, and what it means to live thoughtfully along the coast. It’s about the stories that emerge when people are truly at home in the aquatic world, offering listeners a sense of place and connection within a global ocean community. Tune in for genuine, meandering talks that feel like sitting around after a long day in the swell, where the topics are as vast and shifting as the sea itself.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Waterpeople
Podcast Episodes
Shaun Tomson: Age of Acceleration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35:03
When everything is taken from you at once, what is left? Shaun Tomson is the 1977 World Surfing Champion, the author of Surfer's Code, and a keynote speaker whose work has reached Harvard, Google, Disney, and SEAL teams.…
Laura Crane: Befriending Fear [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:09
Have you had someone believe in your potential before you could see it yourself? Laura Crane is a big wave surfer from North Devon. She came of age in a surf industry that measured her worth by how much exposure her imag…
Whaia: Mana Waka [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:09:44
Who has the right to speak on behalf of water? Who carries that responsibility? Drawing on her lineage of wayfinders and traditional music makers, Whaia regularly takes the stage of international political gatherings – l…
Jon Swift: Making Friends with the Cosmos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:27
Has something astronomical ever made you reassess your life's trajectory? Jon Swift is an astrophysicist and lifelong surfer with a PhD from UC Berkeley. He runs a research observatory at The Thatcher School in Ojai, Cal…
Bryanna Bradley: All That Lingers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:22
How good are you at convincing people you're fine? On a burnout-inspired whim, Bryanna Bradley booked a one-way ticket from inland Canada to Hawaii. She quit her job and started putting in hours in the water at Waikiki.…
Ziggy Alberts: Wildly Underprepared [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:51:22
What does it take for you to slow down? Ziggy Alberts started playing live at 17, admittedly underprepared, but fizzing. By 21, he was staring at a studio ceiling noticing the lights had gone dim, but no one had touched…
Howie Cooke: Artivism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:37:54
When was the last time you had an epiphany? Artist/activist Howie Cooke shares the sudden realisation that steered the course of his life's work - a handful of decades on the front lines of marine protection via NGOs, ar…
Soli Bailey: Maps to Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:50
There's no straight lines in the ocean - nor in a surfing life. We sit with professional surfer and Bundjalung waterman Soli Bailey to trace his lines from early talent and success, through the grind of competing and a l…
Patti Paniccia: Raising the Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:10
What are you unwilling to ignore? Through her experience in pro surfing, journalism and law, Patti Paniccia is a formidable advocate for equity in the water and the workplace. Patti helped build the IPS tour from the gro…
Living the Questions: answering your queries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:17
Ever felt the ocean fix what land couldn’t? This episode, we turn the mics on one another and answer your questions about grief, love, parenting, and crowded lineups. Hear the stories behind the sails, the garden, and th…