Metz is back! Today he tells us about selling his surf shop to Gerry Lopez to launch the Hobie Cat, venturing into the surf wear biz where the female customer unlocks an empire, and he learns valuable lessons in prudence and how to time an exit. Enjoy!

English professor/shaper Charles Mencel joins us to edify on the Jersey beach badge, help illuminate the Shore’s deep history beyond the stereotypes, herald their music culture’s influence on surfing, and chart the travails of scaling a local board building business while raising five daughters and educating America's young adults. Enjoy!

In today’s show filmmaker Jason Baffa explains the unexpected perils of getting your dream job, the importance of finding your niche within a niche, how collaboration is a pathway to success, and why the future of surf films is a live viewing experience. Enjoy!

Quietly and immeasurably influencing the surf world, Jon Roseman's stewardship of Cloudbreak has been cosigned by Fijian tribal leaders and pro surfers alike. Today he shares stories from 30 years of swells, why his best surfing is still ahead of him, and how he hopes to convert his experiences and a newly earned MBA from Yale into sustainable success for Tavarua's future. Enjoy!

In today’s show Dave Nelson reflects on the gift that was skating while growing up in the epicenter of tech, how one early gift from mom would dictate his life’s passion, the magic of living on Reunion Island in the early 90s, and how surf photography led him from darkness and allowed him to service something far greater than his own pursuits. Enjoy!

In today’s show Californian Mark Sausen explains how he landed on Kauai in 1970, why humility is a gateway to universal acceptance, the biggest concerns with the tech autocrat invasion on island, why it takes 20 years to get Hanalei dialed, and how to surf well into your 60s. Enjoy!

In today’s show Anastasia Ashley recounts lessons learned as a haole grom on the North Shore, winning a Pipe event at age 23, embracing surf’s sex appeal to build a business, turning down a six-figure paycheck from Playboy, and how early career choices she was scrutinized for have now become standard industry practice. Enjoy!

In today’s show Chris Christenson recounts the time Tiger Woods got him disqualified from a golf tournament, why Dick Brewer invested in him, how Clark Foam’s closure was the best thing that ever happened, and discusses going to war with a corporate behemoth and inadvertently becoming an environmental activist in the process. Enjoy!

Nainoa is back to explain why having a focused leader is the secret to building magic boards, how learning history enriches both work and play, why it’s a bad idea to fake it until you make it, and why sucking only a little grants you access to powerful teachers. Enjoy!

In today’s show laminator Nainoa Speier shares how his personal journey to discover his family’s origins connected him to a network of SoCal surf icons, how teenaged vandalizing informed his future resin works, and why overseas surfboard manufacturing erodes the bedrock of surf culture. Enjoy! 

Kauai waterman Terry Chung joins us to talk about his recent trip to foil Nazare with Laird, raising well-adjusted children on Kauai, his journey through board building, the evolution of the surf foil, and how to sustain big wave wipeouts at the age of 65. Enjoy!

Denver native and rock crawling enthusiast, Jeff McCallum joins us to detail the exact qualitative difference between domestic and imported surfboards, explain how the evolution of surfboard design can be seen in a Skip Frye rail, reveal the hypocrisy of “sustainability”, and illustrate how foil distinguishes master shapers from everyone else. Enjoy!

The fourth generation San Diegan writer & editor joins us to discuss failing to “de-Barney-fy” longboarding, his private correspondence with Miki Dora, his ongoing love affair with Cuba, and how a life of avowed poverty yielded an endlessly rich lifestyle. Enjoy!

Devon Howard returns to reflect on having a cool mom, inadvertently becoming a surfboard designer, the consequence of spraying his wife in the face, the dangers on the other side of success, and what Ancient Greece has taught him about style. Enjoy!

In today’s show Captain Liz Clark details the childhood experience that empowered her to solo sail the Pacific for a decade, the most terrifying moment at sea, the dietary shift that disappeared her chronic illness, and what remote civilizations taught her about humanity. Enjoy!

The land artist and Outstanding In The Field founder joins to explain why being caught inside is the pinnacle of surfing, how his mother’s language of math is encoded in his artwork, dance as ultimate therapy, and how the difference between failure and success is an illusion of perspective. Enjoy!

Craftsman Josh Martin joins us to discuss inventing the Shark Board, why people morph into looking like their dog, how ancient materials may be the future of board building, constructing a camper out of surfboard material, and making a living as an Instagram Influencer. Enjoy!

Jersey native Sam Hammer joins us to discuss how losing in contests led to a pro surf career, how seeds of relationships can birth enduring paychecks, how cold water has been his gateway to longevity, and the power of under-exertion. Enjoy!

The Australian Surfing Hall of Famer joins us to discuss how riding a wooden fence picket led to a surfboard revolution, how cosmic design rights all injustice, why you’re riding the wrong fins, and the creative growth that is unlocked by killing the ego. Enjoy!

Mr. Sunset opens up about the anxieties of wartime during the Vietnam draft, eating a tablecloth (literally) to earn the license for Quiksilver, the value of ignorance, earning and losing a small fortune, conquering a 30 year substance addiction, and positioning himself to surf into 100 years of age. Enjoy!

Maui laminator Nic Timpone joins us to discuss the weight and privilege of continuing a five decade legacy of board building, how incremental improvements in sustainable materials net meaningful change, the fallacy of Instagram virality, and why he’ll be ditching his board henceforth. Enjoy!

Professional surfer, author, ecofeminist, mother, Lauren Hill joins us to discuss how a commitment to curiosity has resulted in an unlikely surf career, an even less likely life as a farmer, and the cosmic premonition that inspired her to move across the world in a quest to stay centered. Enjoy! (Originally aired September 2020)

Pro surfer turned shaper, Shane Stoneman discusses the immeasurable influence environment plays in one’s work and well-being, the restorative virtues of painting, music as a conduit to connect with his children, and how to mitigate the physical trauma of shaping surfboards. Enjoy!

Patrick Trefz joins us to discuss how primary cooking lessons from his mother and a missive of exploration from his father led to 30+ years of travel, a tenure at Surfer Magazine, analysis of his friends through documentary, and the idea that food might leave the most indelible imprint of a culture. It’s all chronicled in his latest book, Ode To Travel and in today’s conversation. Enjoy!

In our final installment, AJW reminds us why it’s often preferable to not have a plan, how fasting for 10 days led to him catching the wave of his life at Peahi, solo travel led him to a nude hot spring in the mountains of Japan, and how accepting a job in a sketchy situation evolved into a flourishing relationships. Enjoy!