Board Women

Having admired skateboarders for decades, music and culture photographer Sarah Brownlow took the plunge and tried it out for herself in her 40s. She says of that experience:“I got on it and I absolutely loved it - the feeling of flying and doing this thing that was so difficult and so dangerous, but so rewarding. A light went on and that was it, I was hooked.”Sarah went on to become a skate coach and eventually founded @brighton_girls_skate_club. Her mission is to show girls and women that skateboarding can be for them.Episode highlightsGrowing up in a world where girls and women didn’t skate and where there was no encouragement to do so.First experience of the ‘buzz of the board’ - on a snow board.Moving to Bali and photographing skateboarders at Pretty Poison nightclub.Learning to skate board back in the UK - “I was pretty addicted from the off”. Learning to coach on the ‘Get Rolling’ scheme alongside pros such as Lucy Adams and dealing with imposter syndrome. Sharing the passion - teaching girls to skateboard at Brighton Girls School and founding a skate school.More about Sarah Brownlow:@sarah_brownlowsarahbrownlow.com@brighton_girls_skate_clubBecoming a coach:SkateboardGB Get Rolling Coaching CourseJoin the Board Women movement:boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

SUP racer extraordinaire Gemma Palmer-Dighton @getgemma is a #Shepaddles ambassador. Her mission is to demonstrate to others that the sport is open to all, and to improve its accessibility. When Gemma began to get in to paddling she struggled to find representation of black paddlers, and she’s determined to change that. Gemma has done some incredibly hardcore paddle races including the Great Glen (92km), and has set up an entire SUP community #SUPHuntingdon to bring people together around the sport.Episode highlightsThe beauty of being on a board in nature.How turning to SUP to rehabilitate an injury, sparked a passion for competing in the sport.Becoming a #Shepaddles ambassador with a mission to broaden representation.Building community around SUP.Getting out of a tight spot during the Great Glen.More about Gemma Palmer-Dighton:@getgemmaGroups and races Gemma mentions:@paddleuk@greatglenchallengeTrent 100Join the Board Women movement:boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Recorded live at the Tremula Festival in Brighton on Saturday 21 September, this week’s episode is a different format to usual. Five inspirational women, all of whom are passionate about board sports, share their innermost stories and tips about confidence: having it, losing it, re-gaining it and holding on to it - all through the prism of being on a board.Featuring:Sarah BrounlowSam Hadad Gemma Palmer-DightonDanni UnwayNicky WoodhouseThis panel kicks off a new series of events that Board Women will be putting on across the country - The Confidence Sessions. We’ll be looking for panel members to be part of these future events, so if you’re an instructor, someone who runs a community, someone who took these sports up later in life, or a confidence/women’s health specialist, and you fancy taking part in a Confidence Session, contact us @boardwomen.More about Tremula:Special thanks to Francesca Turauskis of the Tremula Network for hosting Board Women at this year's Tremula Festival.Join the Board Women movement:boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

A lawyer for her whole career, Marianne realised one day that enough was enough, jacked it in, and retrained as an endurance coach in swimming, triathlons and more recently in Surf Fitness. She picked up surfing and snowboarding in her 50s and runs the SurfFit class I go to in Brighton each week and is quite simply, brilliant.Episode highlightsMarianne's love of fitness & how it inspires confidenceChanging attitudes to age and activityBringing women together through communityWhy coaches have a responsibility to inspire & supportHer F**k you response to the snowboard coach who told her she was too old!More about Marianne:@marianneclarkptGroups Marianne mentions:Ocean Set@ocean.setJoin the Board Women movement:boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Author of ‘Struggle: the surprising truth, beauty and opportunity hidden in life’s shittier moments’, Grace’s take on struggle fits brilliantly in to the world of board sports, and so we're delighted to be back after the summer break with this episode. Grace is an award winning speaker, author, chief encourager and struggle strategist, and for before joining this chat, she gave skateboarding a go for the first time.“This thing we call struggle is quite often the place where we learn, where we discover, where we stretch, where we might find something that that we wouldn’t have found otherwise….sometimes it’s not until we find ourselves in struggle that we discover what we’re made of.”Episode highlights:Struggle as the birth place of our best work. Shining a light in the middle of the tunnel, rather than trying to get out of it.With curiosity, what are the rich learnings we can glean from our moments of struggle?Skateboarding for the first time - the power of invitation to try something new. Understanding the four stages of competence.High functioning fear - what is it and how does it limit us?More about Grace:gracemarshall.com@gracemarshallninjaOthers mentioned in this chat:yellowhatskateschool.com@yellowhatskateschoolJoin the Board Women movement:boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

In our last episode before the summer break (we're back in September), I talk to the phenomenal JoJo White @jojolecook, who has admirably managed to combine her career and passion for boarding from the outset. After studying journalism at Bournemouth Uni, where she squeezed in surfing in to her studies wherever she could, she landed a job straight out of college working on Onboard Snowboarding magazine. She helped to launch the magazine online from the mountains of Chamonix. She then did the same for @surfeuropemag from Biarritz.She is now co-owner of All Conditions Media with Matt Barr of the excellent @welooksideways podcast. An avid surfer and snowboarder in her 40s, Jojo is now a mum of two, who knows the reality of juggling roles and finding time to surf.Having seen the boarding industry evolve over the last 20+ years, she has some unique and fascinating insights to share, particularly on how girls and women fit in. Episode highlights:Starting out in a male dominated industry: life as a journalist on boarding magazines, and reflections on how the industry has changed and is changing for women.Partnering with Matt Barr to create All Conditions Media, a communications company that works with leading brands in outdoor sportsFostering a progressive, inclusive working culture in the company, and moving it to a ‘donut’ employee owned model where “everyone with a seat at the table has an equal role to play".“Sainsbury’s or surfing?….surfing is the ultimate in self care”.The importance of finding time for oneself to do the thing you love.The changing face of board sports: how they’re becoming more inclusive for girls and women. "Sliding sideways well in to our 70s" - you're never too old to try out these sports, but make sure you focus on strength and conditioning too. More about JoJo:@jojolecookAll Conditions Media@allconmediaGroups JoJo mentions:Lusty Surf Life Saving ClubJoin the Board Women movement:boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

This week’s episode is a bit longer than usual and features two guests - Harry and Nessy of Ride On Retreats - a luxury surf and yoga business. Both keen surfers, as well as beginner skateboarders, these lifelong friends bought the business from a mutual friend, and are busy turning their dream in to reality. It’s a really inspiring story. Episode highlights:How Nessy and Harry came to join forces and co-own Ride On Retreats. How they function as a team.Why they came so late to board sports, and the positive effect it is having on their lives and that of their families.The importance of family support as you try new things.The power of cold water swimming.The chair of awareness - Surfers Against Sewage.Take the first step - sign up for a lesson.More about Harry and Nessy:rideonretreats.com@rideonretreatsPlaces and people mentioned in the chat:Stockwell SkateparkYellow Hat Skate SchoolSurfers Against SewageJoin the Board Women movement:boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Host of the Everyday Adventure podcast and founder of Resilience At Work, Nicki Bass is an occupational psychologist and TEDx speaker. The focus of her work is to help organisations develop the leadership skills and resilience of their people. An ex-army officer, Nicki is also a talented snow boarder and surfer in her 40s. Episode highlights:Failure is an important part of learning.How the Everyday Adventure podcast came about.Reframing adventure - What does it bring to you? What’s the feeling you get? It can be found everywhere and in the every day. Finding awe and wonder in the every day.Recording the TEDx talk - it wrote itself.On being an army officer.Developing Resilience At Work - tips and tricks on developing resilience.Board Sports and resilience - going just beyond your point of comfort.Why women are now coming more to board sports.Get started by choosing something you love and starting small. More about Nicki:resilienceatwork.co.ukinsta: @everydayadventurepodTEDx talk: The Life Changing Power Of Everyday AdventuresJoin the Board Women movement: boardwomen.co@boardwomenHost: Caroline KeylockProducer: Selma ChalabiPhotography - Clare KeylockArtwork - Rozi Wan Rimli Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON