BlueBound Community

Do you ever struggle with your inner critic, or have trouble visualizing yourself doing something? 

"If you've got to a certain place, you're meant to be there, so never ever hold yourself back, wherever you are".

We were lucky to have Mary Morgan Howell, pro wakeboard athlete, join us on an Instagram Live recently. We talked about the mental challenges of being on the water, something which is often not talked about, including the power of visualizations on the trampoline, beating imposter syndrome and also how to make a great cup of tea! 

This week we're chatting with Sarah, otherwise known as the PlusSizePaddler on Instagram. Sarah is on a mission to give more visibility to diverse paddlers and has started up her own initiative PaddleKitHerWay (which we’ll talk about today)!

We talked about self-confidence, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, making kit more inclusive and the future of paddling. 

We hope you enjoy this episode - and if you liked it, do share on to a friend who could find it useful! :)

Ever wondered what a nudibranch was? Or underwater hockey? Or how to take good photos underwater?

Then we have the answers for you! Today we were joined by energetic and fun Danel, a South African scuba diving instructor who has a degree in Marine Biology and teaches underwater photography. Join us for a quick chat about the obscure sport of underwater hockey, the strange but cute marine life you might find when taking photographs (like nudibranchs!), advice for your first dive and photo session, and why being part of a waterwoman community is a source of empowerment!

Zandi grew up far away from the ocean, being taught to fear the water as a child like many other Black people in Soweto, Johannesburg. However, in 2016 she took a snorkel trip which opened up her world to the wonders of the ocean. Since then she’s gone on a magical and challenging journey, and qualified as the first Black female free diving instructor in South Africa.

We chatted about her favourite moments free diving, the path to qualifying, barriers to ocean sports to different ethnicities, and her advice for taking your first free diving class. Check it out below!

This week we interviewed Jeannie, a surfer and artist living in Bali.

Jeannie dropped in to share with us her tips for beginner surfers, including nabbing a coach, and her thoughts on confidence in the water when you're the only gal. We also talked about Jeannie's secret skill of scuba diving, and her favourite hidden surf spots in the beautiful location of Bali.

So grab a cup of tea/coffee, and we hope you enjoy this episode!

This week we interviewed Eden, who is otherwise known as @thetransgenderswimmer on Instagram.

Hailing from London, the UK, Eden is both an indoor and outdoor swimmer, who shared with us her tips for getting into outdoor swimming, training for her first swimming marathon, her thoughts on the trans community in swimming and how to make swimming for inclusive, what the international trans day of visibility means to her, and the new documentary that she’s starring in.

So grab a cup of tea/coffee, and we hope you enjoy this episode!