In this episode I talk with Renee Taylor, a speech-language therapist and freedive instructor who founded Salt Aotearoa in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Renee shares her personal journey to experiencing freediving as rongoā Māori and its role as a healing practice; with the ocean supporting a deep level of mind, body and spiritual well-being. If you’re stressed and burnt out, keep listening!
We chat about the kaupapa of Salt Aotearoa and creating a safe space for wāhine to transform their lives by learning to freedive, spearfish, and collect kaimoana.Today we’ll find out just how easy it is to get into freediving, and how good it is for us.
And you’ll hear Renee’s beautiful baby during this episode, who wanted a wee chat too!
Join a freediving or spearfishing course with Salt Aotearoa and experience more life underwater.
Connect with Renee on Instagram @saltaotearoa
Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal
Website: Saltwater Journal
EPISODE NOTES | Renee Taylor
01:00 Family and motherhood
2:06 Speech therapy and the toll of death in daily life
04:06 Unsafe cultural spaces and journey into freediving
05:50 Being wāhine in the freediving world
11:26 Joy of the beginner experience
14:09 Being underwater: scuba and freediving
14:43 Benefits of freediving
16:21 Supporting reconnection
20:20 Dangers of freediving
23:50 Collecting kai
25:12 Addiction of spearfishing
26:00 Shore diving
27:30 CPR
33:00 How to get involved
35:10 Freediving and pregnancy
Te Reo Māori
Aotearoa - New Zealand
Hauora - health
Kai - food
Kaimoana - seafood
Kaupapa - purpose
Kōrero - conversation
Moana - sea, ocean
Māoritanga - Māori way of life
Taiao - natural world
Wānanga - meeting to share learning and knowledge
Wāhine - women
Whānau - family