Board Women

We speak to Abby Richardson, Head of Impact at The Wave and co-author of the new Do Blue book which positions water as the life solution we all need.Abby Richardson was there from the very start of The Wave, from it being an idea in Nick Hounsfield’s head that he wanted to bring to life. From getting investors on board, to making it a reality, to helping to bring its impact goals to life, Abby has been there every step of the way. And yet, if you’re not in the industry, you may never have heard of her.That’s all set to change with the launch of the latest Do Lectures book, co-written by Abby and Nick, ‘Do Blue’, an uplifting guide to the power of blue, arguing (as many of us in this community would agree) that being in or near water has tremendously positive effects on our lives in a myriad of ways.Abby isn’t a surfer, a skater or a snowboarder, and traditionally may not have found her way onto the Board Women podcast. However, she’s been instrumental in bringing women’s communities to the wave, starting the now iconic Sister Sessions, and ensuring that diversity continues to be a focus for the business with their impact strategy.She’s also, like so many of us, a midlife woman who sought something to keep her sanity during covid, and for her dipping in cold water was the solution. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: cold water swimming is the gateway drug for so many women coming to board sports. It’s an activity that helps you realise you have the control to make your body do hard things. More on this with our interview with Gilly McCarthur in the next couple of weeks.Abby is incredibly articulate, and just good fun, and this episode is warm, self deprecating and honest.We cover:Her journey of becoming involved in The Wave, and her long-time friendship with Nick Hounsfield, The Wave’s founderThe fractious closing of The Wave last year and how they bounced backDo Water and how the book came to lifeAbby’s journey into wild swimming & how it supports her day to dayHer own connection with water & how it has helped her through griefIt’s a good one! I hope you enjoy it.—-----Presenter: Caroline Keylock Producer: Selma Chalabi

We speak to Patagonia ambassador and mountain guide Zoe Hart about being a beginner skateboarder and snowboarder and her attitude to parenting & adventure.Patagonia ambassador, international mountain guide, and now, at 47, beginner skateboarder and snowboarder. Zoe Hart is a phenomenally interesting balance of someone that takes risks that most of us would baulk at, but also voices the fears we all have in our heads as she takes on new sports in midlife and the very real anxiety that comes with being an adult beginner.I met Zoe at Kendal Mountain Festival, listening to a Yeti hosted panel that she featured on, she spoke about the balance of being someone who has always chased adventure and risk, and then has to find a way to make that work as a parent. Zoe’s take on it? ‘Disaster Style Parenting’ as evidenced by the intriguing documentary series she produced on behalf of Patagonia about her own family and how they are navigating living in the outdoors lifestyle that their base in Chamonix affords them.But what really intrigued me was hearing about Zoe’s journey into skateboarding in her mid 40’s, and more recently starting snowboarding. Her comfort zone is the mountains, but it doesn’t make starting something new any easier. The fears she voices about learning as an adult are similar to those that any of us feel, even though she is a world renowned climber. We cover:Zoe’s journey into living and working in the mountainsHow she became a Patagonia ambassadorBalancing parenting & adventureWomen’s community and beginner skateboardingLearning to be kind to yourselfNavigating ageing and feeling good about yourselfPresenter: Caroline Keylock Producer: Selma Chalabi

We speak to SEN teacher turned surf film producer Clare Ventham A working life of creativity can feel out of reach for so many of us, the type of thing that the lucky few get to do, whilst the rest of us have ‘normal jobs’. But there is another way too, and that’s to just go out and create, and see if that can somehow become your job over time. Clare Ventham is one of those people. Clare is the producer of HotPipe Hillbillies, a fantastic documentary about my local surf spot near Brighton, The Hotpipes (also fondly called the Shitpipes). The surprise, given the quality of the film, is that Clare is a first time producer, and her normal day job is as a SEN teacher. Clare has clearly had a fire lit inside her since the experience (despite it being a harrowing 2 years that coincided with the team balancing their day jobs, Clare being pregnant for the second time and much more); and is keen to now translate this experience to new films and storytelling (one of which we are partnering on which is incredibly exciting). We talk about:The origination for the film & how it connected her to the surf community when she couldn’t surf (she was pregnant when the plans began)The importance of inclusivity in the seaThe transition from teacher to producerHer first surf experience (and why it was a shocker)Motherhood & surfing and the supportive mates who make it happenHobbies like sea fishing & why surfing & fishing both provide a resetHaving a kick ass mum as a role modelIt’s a lovely interview, showing that you can pursue any creative goal you choose, as long as you’re willing to work hard at it.I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think—----Presenter: Caroline Keylock Producer: Selma Chalabi

Bella is a surf photographer, producer, editor, a multi-lane creative who is now most well known for being the first female editor of Wavelength magazine and media entity. Her first issue was in February 2025, six months of hard graft, in particular for someone who hadn’t done the role of editor before. She didn’t let her lack of experience deter her from going in hard on the first issue, and she’s continued in the same vein since. Supporting women in the surfing space isn’t new to Bella, she saw the issue of a lack of visibility of women at all levels of surfing early on, and she’s sought to re-address the balance through her photography and beyond (and if you take a listen to the interview, there’s a reveal about a big leap she’s made at the magazine which will become public shortly).We talk about this inequality and much more in the interview:Bella’s journey into surfing & finding her peopleGetting her break into publishingBurning out & talking openly about mental healthDeveloping boundaries as a freelance creative Living an unconventional life and her future plans Presenter: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma Chalabi 

We speak to Lindsey Holland, founder of surf lifestyle brand, Marnie Rays.Do you remember the moment you fell in love with surfing? Lindsey is an ex dancer, turned physiotherapist, turned part-time fashion influencer, turned full-time (very successful) fashion influencer. And then everything changed on one retreat, a retreat she’d gone on to get over a relationship ending, and a new love emerged: surfing.I think we all recognise that feeling when we first fall in love with a board sport. It’s genuinely like meeting someone new, you can’t get enough of them, they take up your every thought, you re-organise your life around that new relationship. And so it was for Lindsey as she began to travel around the world to learn to surf in new destinations, bringing her significant instagram audience on the journey with her. That new feeling of love with the sport ended up being the essence of her business, Marnie Rays, a surf lifestyle brand that hosts retreats all around the world, bringing women on that same journey into the sport (albeit in fairly luxurious surrounds). We cover:Lyndsey’s multi-lane career landing in the world of surfingThe founding journey of Marnie RaysWhy surfing is such a release for mid-life womenMoving to cornwall and hosting global retreatsThe importance of positive self-talkSurfing and anxiety and being humbled by the oceanI hope you enjoy this one! Let me know what you think!____________Producer: Selma ChalabiPresenter: Caroline Keylock 

If you’ve seen a video recently of a woman in her 50’s, 60’s or 70’s cruising the waves and telling the story of how she came to be a surfer later in life, chances are it’s been shared by the Sassy Silver Surfers community, founded by Inessa Love and Lisa Alfano.Whilst Inessa’s films on instagram show the beautiful waters of Hawaii, she’s actually originally from Ukraine, an unlikely surf girl destination. What feels more unlikely is that she spent 8 years in Hawaii before turning to surfing at 50, an event that came about after she was divorced and seeking new freedoms.She didn’t find it easy, but she stuck with it, describing it as ‘opening up her life’. She started a facebook group with Lisa, as a way to seek out people who were surfers in the same age bracket, and the two were surprised that it grew at pace. The group is closed, if you’re not 50 you’re not coming in, but the Instagram account @sassysilversurfers has acted as a route for surfers who aspire to be surfing in their 50’s, but who aren’t there quite yet, to find a route into the community.Inessa is now hell bent on demonstrating that women in their 50’s and beyond an do anything they want, through the lens of the inspiring stories of the women in the community.We cover:The story of Sassy Silver Surfers coming to lifeWhy prioritising yourself is an essential practiceSurfing post DivorceWhy 50+ women are so surfing obsessedBelonging in the line-up Producer: Selma ChalabiPresenter: Caroline Keylock 

Jo Moseley is that rare breed: a positive menopause story. The first woman to stand up paddle from coast to coast in the UK, Jo first came on the Board Women podcast two years ago, talking about how this challenge had transformed her life at a time when she needed it most. She described periods of being on the bathroom floor crying, her relationship having ended, and how paddleboarding had brought her joy, challenge and a new found confidence, which she later applied to learning to skateboard in her late 50’s. Two years later, Jo’s coast to coast challenge has proved instrumental in changing her entire existence. She is now a 3 x author, having released two SUP guides, but more recently launching her book ‘Adventures on The Water: the Power of Paddleboarding to Change Lives’. It’s a collection of stories from people talking about their relationship with Paddleboarding and the water more generally, and it spans from aspirational adventures like Brendon Prince navigating the entire British coastline, to Caz Dawson’s amazon expedition, to Karthy Marston’s SUP yoga classes. Jo has also released short films, the latest one having debuted at Kendal Mountain Festival, ‘Skinny’ charting her first experience of skinny dipping outdoors, in her sixties. Whether planned or not, Jo has become the poster child of embracing joy in later life, and a key theme to our conversation is the need for more positive stories of this chapter. The interview covers: The life changing influence of her adventureThe story behind her new book Why taking care of yourself in menopause is essentialThe need for a more positive view of our next chapter Why more accessible role models are important Skinny Dipping in your 60’s (and being on the big screen naked) Finding freedom in the idea that no-one thinks about you Jo also talks about two amazing women that we’ve been lucky enough to interview before on the show - Gemma Palmer Dighton, and Sam Metcalfe. Host: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma Chalabihttps://weareboardwomen.substack.com/Ep 11. Brave enough to take the next stephttps://www.jomoseley.com/https://www.instagram.com/jomoseley/?hl=en

Founder of the iconic movement, Cheer up Luv, Eliza Hatch is a force to be reckoned with. She’s an award winning feminist, photographer, educator, speaker and curator. She’s spent the last 8 years working to highlight the voices of sexual assault survivors, break down taboos around sexual assault and drive awareness of misogyny in society. However, more recently Eliza has become known for covering her own journey into the world of skateboarding, and translating some of that analysis of gender barriers to this new space. I’ve really enjoyed following her content about visiting new parks for the first time, and highlighting some of the internal narrative we all have that can, at times, get in our way. What I didn’t know was that there had been a blip in Eliza’s journey. She had been called out by someone who was a well known male figure in the skateboarding scene, who stitched one of her social films, and eviscerated her in the process. The content went viral, but not only did it affect her in the online space, it started to creep into the real world. It resulted in Eliza beginning to question whether she should create this type of content at all. In some ways it positively reframed her relationship with the sport, and rather than professionalising her journey, running events and creating content, she embraced the pure joy of the journey. However, it’s clear the impact is still relatively raw, and it’s frustrating that anyone has to deal with this kind of harassment online. We cover this (the first time she’s spoken about it online) and so much more: Her journey into skateboarding (and more recently surfing) Finding a more mindful relationship with skateboarding The journey of building Cheer Up Luv Photographic Essays with collective Transkaters LondonDeveloping positive self talk and your own journey of progressionEliza is super self deprecating, but I really recommend her skateboarding content when it does appear, it’s doing a great job of breaking down barriers in this space. Her social accounts are below if you want to find out more—--------Host: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma Chalabi https://weareboardwomen.substack.comhttps://www.instagram.com/elizahatch/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/cheerupluv/?hl=en

Snowboarder, mother, activist, feminist, producer, the list of Kimmy’s achievements as a professional snowboarder and beyond is endless. She’s an icon of the snowboarding industry, the first female snowboarder to land a double backflip in the park, multiple time winner of rider of the year.Despite all of that, it’s her role as a vocal ambassador for women in the sport that really stands out for me. She has created events and platforms to accelerate women in snowboarding, but that focus peaked in the last year with the release of her film, ‘Butterfly in a Blizzard’. Initially created to chart her journey into motherhood as a professional snow athlete, the film resulted in covering five years of Kimmy’s life as she navigates the birth of her first child, the death of her mother, childhood trauma that came to the fore as she embarked on motherhood herself; and later (as if this wasn’t all enough), advanced breast cancer resulting in a double mastectomy. It’s a film that makes you question just how much one person is capable of overcoming, but what really connected with me was that it is the most honest portrayal of navigating parenting as working parents that I’ve seen on screen. Kimmy is articulate and humble, and I loved talking with her. In this episode we cover: Being at the peak of her career and finding out she was pregnant Choosing to stand up to sponsors to ensure they supported her contractuallyDeciding to publicly portray the real story of parenthood + being a professional athleteThe film evolving to cover more than they ever expected as a family Why she chose an all female crew to bring the film to life Navigating cancer & family & choosing to come back to snowboarding And so much more. This one is searingly honest, and it sucker punched me more than once as it chimed with my own experiences of parenthood, I hope you enjoy it. —--------Host: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma Chalabi https://weareboardwomen.substack.comFind more on Kimmy here: https://www.instagram.com/kimmyfasani/Watch the film here: https://www.butterflyinablizzard.com/