Living In Liquid

Today's pod guest is Michelle Bautista Layton, a scientist, explorer, and adventurer in every sense of the word.In 2024, Michelle set sail from the USA to French Polynesia, a transformative journey, navigating open waters and new horizons on a sailing trip that wasn’t just about the destination, but about reconnecting with nature, embracing uncertainty, and finding clarity beyond the lab. With a background in nanoengineering for regenerative medicine, Michelle brings a unique lens to both science and storytelling, blending precision with curiosity, and discovery with personal growth. In this episode, we dive into what the ocean taught her about resilience, creativity, and the beauty of living life off the beaten path.Michelle Bautista Laytonmichellebautistalayton.com

Jamie spoke to Mikey in 2021. There’s a lot of surfers out there trying to live their best version of the movie “North Shore.” Spoiler alert: It ain’t that easy. Getting good waves at places like Pipeline, let alone Jaws, require years of beatdowns, humblings, moments of glory, and respect to pay off. Nobody knows this more than Hawaii Island’s Mikey “Redd” O’Shaughnessy, who, for over a decade, started from the bottom of the pack to become a yearly standout on the North Shore. (He’s won the coveted WOTW, mind you.) Of course, even WOTW champions aren’t invincible, and on the recent Valentine’s Pipeline swell, Mikey nearly lost his life in the pursuit. Jamie Mitchell talks with Mikey about working your way up the ladder — and his harrowing experience.

This week’s guest is world-class paddleboarder Jack Bark, whose accomplishments have set a new benchmark for endurance ocean racing. In 2024, he made history at the Catalina Classic by breaking the long-standing course record and becoming the first and only person to complete the 32-mile crossing in under five hours. He is a two-time Molokai2Oahu champion in the stock division and has undertaken exceptional long-distance feats, including 77-mile and 100-mile open-water paddles. Jack has also completed major channel crossings such as Australia’s notorious Bass Strait between Southern Australia and Tasmania and the Georgia Strait in Vancouver. Raised in the renowned Bark family, he is carrying on a family legacy built by watermen before him while forging his own path, establishing himself as one of the sport’s most accomplished modern watermen. The son of legendary paddler Joe Bark, Jack grew up with saltwater in his veins, transforming early days on the beach with his family into a career defined by grit, technical mastery, and a deep respect for the sea. Now, with each new crossing and competition, he continues to expand the Bark legacy; one stroke at a time.https://www.instagram.com/jackbark

Jamie caught up with Laurie in Dec 2021, for The Late Drop. When Billabong sent 19-year-old Laurie Towner to one of the scariest waves on the planet during a massive swell with top-shelf pros Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson in 2006, few expected the Angourie hell boy to actually step up to the plate — much less rule the whole field. While most of the crew spent the day getting towed into terrifying kegs at Shipstern’s Bluff, Laurie casually paddled into the bomb of the day — and cemented his reputation as a heavy-water star. Towner almost immediately switched from competing in pro contests to chasing big waves and backless slabs all over the world as a professional freesurfer for Billabong, resulting in XXL Awards, video parts and magazine covers galore.But the career of a daredevil can be a fickle one. Towner was only 25 when he lost his main sponsor despite nonstop accolades and countless brushes with death. It turned out to be blessing in disguise as he was able to focus on his young family while remaining a standout in historic swell events, from the Code Red Swell at Teahupo’o to the Thundercloud Reef sessions in Fiji. Now, with a fresh sponsor and a newfound focus on Jaws, Laurie Towner’s best may be yet to come.

Today on the show, Jamie is joined by one of the most fearless competitors ever to take the helm, Jimmy Spithill. From his early days sailing on the waters of Sydney to becoming the youngest skipper in the history of the America’s Cup, a two-time America’s Cup-winning skipper, Jimmy’s career is defined by bold decisions, unshakable confidence, and a never-say-die attitude. Inducted into both the America’s Cup and Australian Sailing Hall Of Fame, battled some of the toughest crews on the planet, staged one of the greatest comebacks in sports history with Oracle Team USA, and continues to push the limits of what’s possible on the water. Get ready for an inside look at the mindset, grit, and passion that have made Jimmy Spithill a true legend of modern sailing.https://www.instagram.com/jspithill

In December 2021, Jamie chatted to Kai Lenny for The Late Drop. The thing about Kai Lenny, one of the greatest watermen the world has ever known, is that Kai is unapologetically…Kai. He’ll tell you that he wants catch the biggest wave ever surfed on the planet, and in the same breath, tell you that he’d like to surf Shipstern’s Bluff specifically so he could try a chop-hop down that infamous Shipstern’s step. No shame in Kai’s game. With a first name that literally means “ocean” in Hawaiian, and Waterman as his middle (it’s actually an old German family name), it’s like Kai was born to be great. Recently dropping his new series with Red Bull “Life of Kai,” which shows all the struggles and trips it takes to get to greatness, Jamie Mitchell sat down with the man in the newest episode of the Late Drop.

Today Jamie’s diving deep, literally, with our guest, Vitomir Maričić. Vitomir is a world champion freediver, ocean explorer, and one of the leading figures in underwater sports and innovation. As a multiple national and world record holder, he’s spent his life pushing the limits of human potential beneath the surface.  But his work doesn’t stop there. From advancing marine conservation efforts to developing cutting-edge technologies for underwater exploration, Vitomir combines athletic mastery with a visionary approach to the future of the ocean. Get ready for an inspiring conversation about breath, balance, and the beauty of the deep blue.https://www.instagram.com/maverick2go/?hl=en

 In 2021, Jamie sat down with Shane Dorian thanks to Surfline. Every so often, in certain eras across certain disciplines, anathlete doesn’t just change the way we look at a team — he or she changes theway we look at the sport itself. A little over a decade ago, Shane Dorian didthat with big-wave surfing out at Jaws. He raised the bar out there in XXLpaddle-surfing, setting a precedent for all others to follow, while innovatingand progressing that bar himself. Now a self-proclaimed surf-dad (geez, imagineif your pops was Shane Dorian?!) the big-wave GOAT talks with Jamie Mitchell atlength in episode one of Season 3 of the Late Drop. And, yeah, this one’s aBANGER. Buckle up and enjoy.

In this conversation, Jamie Mitchell and multiple ARIA Award nominee and two-time APRA award-winning Australian blues/roots musician Ash Grunwald discuss the evolution of touring and performance rituals, emphasising the shift from alcohol consumption to mindfulness practices for mental health. They explore the importance of maintaining a balance between work and play, particularly through activities like surfing, and reflect on memorable experiences in the ocean.https://ashgrunwald.com/https://www.instagram.com/ashgrunwald/