Kaleigh Gilchrist is as cool and rad and impressive as they come. It’s not just that she is a three time Olympian, or that she has two Olympic water polo gold medals (in her sock drawer) or the NCAA championship ring, or the high school CIF win; or the multitude of other championship wins on the water polo world stage. What if I told you that she’s also a professional surfer with a ton more elite level accomplishments spanning her youth, collegiate and professional career? A two sport monster. Kaleigh has had incredible success based on her passion for both sports and an unbelievable work ethic, attitude, goal setting, having great people in her court… and a lot of grit. Meanwhile she’s had to deal with all the things that go along with the pursuit of excellence and has had to overcome, and come back from a harrowing, life threatening accident. And she absolutely has. Now Kaleigh is starting on the next BIG chapter in her life which was always part of her plan… being a wife and a mom. It’s quite a story… that already has countless rad chapters… and many more ahead.

Jay Larson and Lyndon Cabellon; aka L8Night with Choccy. These guys are surf industry pros going back decades, Huntington Beach icons, ripping surfers, funny guys and hosts of the wildly popular L8Night with Choccy podcast. With diverse backgrounds, these guys connected early in HB and have been friends ever since. Jay was a professional surfer on the world stage and part of the “Momentum Generation” palling around with some of the most accomplished surfers in history. You would have seen Jay featured in surf magazines and video parts in the most popular surf movies of that era. Lyndon and Jay, based on their histories, roles and personalities, have been smack dab in the middle of the spider web of connection known as the surf industry for years. They have taken their love of surfing, passion for the industry and their deep and diverse connections and started talking about it behind a microphone during the early days of podcasting. Today, L8Night with Choccy has over 330 published interviews with the most recognized people in the surf world; pro surfers, world champions, surf industry leaders, board builders, surf shop owners, and a wide range of business operators associated with surfing. The common bond is surf… but the story telling goes way beyond. These are rad guys doing rad things: linking communities and sharing stories with the world. And they’re frickin’ hilarious.

If you find yourself in harm’s way or in high risk situations in the ocean (or anywhere for that matter) you want Hoover and his friends running point on your safety. Hoover is a respected Water Safety and Risk Management Specialist, master instructor and all around waterman. His list of certifications and expertise related to water safety and first aid is off the charts. His experience in big wave surfing (the biggest of big,) offshore sailboat racing, distance paddling, etc. is extensive and sought after. Hoover has had a long and impressive career in water safety and today is one of the most respected figures in his field of Ocean Risk Management. Hoover is a master instructor with the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group (BWRAG) which was created to construct advanced safety systems primarily for people striving to surf, and survive, the biggest waves in the world. Today BWRAG teaches courses around the globe for big wave aficionados, special operations teams, federal, state and local first responders… and for us regular people; as we all have a part to play in water safety in our communities. For many of us, as close as we’ll get to these conditions is in front of a screen, so if you’ve ever watched people riding incredible, massive surf on TV or in movies, there’s a good chance that Hoover was a part of that mission; wherever in the world it may be happening. At the same time, he’s one of the coolest, most humble guys you’ll meet; stick around for the super rad John Hoover.

Joe Stapleton is the busiest person I know. At the time of this interview, Joe serves as the Mayor of Newport Beach, California and has passionately served this community for two decades. His view of public service is on point; and the genesis of it comes from an experience that changed his view of the world and of his own legacy. Since that time, Joe has held more positions in his city than I can on my hands and feet, and attends more civic events than I can comprehend. Every day he’s somewhere… or five places. At the same time he is the very active and engaged president of the financial services organization that he co-founded and between clients, family, and city roles, he is still committed to his friends and his fitness as an endurance athlete. This all recently culminated in his role in the Ben Carlson Foundation’s 10th annual Ben Did Go community fundraising event which found Joe training and crushing the 30 mile solo prone paddle which is quite a feat for anyone, especially if that person grew up in Arizona. Joe is a great storyteller and his path to today is impressive and interesting. Regardless of where you live or what you believe, Joe’s view of community engagement and of public service will resonate and captivate.

Gaby Laurent’s story starts the way every story should start; with an awesome, loving and supportive family and a wonderful upbringing. She grew up with love and the push, the drive and the support to have a great life. And when she went off to college she met the love of her life on the first day. Graduation, graduate school, marriage, career, and then pregnancy… everything that she wanted. Then came the diagnosis that changed her life. AML. Acute Myeloid Leukemia. While pregnant. No one had ever gone through the aggressive AML treatment while pregnant. Ever. Gaby was a medical unicorn as is her son Louis who went through chemotherapy while in utero. The story is harrowing but Gaby, along with family, went through it with incredible grace, humor, and a level of positivity that I struggle to comprehend. She tells the story in her book Wrinkles Welcome with the same level of humor and passion that is both profoundly powerful and amazing to watch, listen or read. Today, Gaby is healthy, happy, married with two boys and has a very active life full of gratitude, community and adventure. She believes in the power of community, faith and nature to help heal those in this very difficult place and she uses her experience to support and influence other cancer fighters and survivors, through her book, and as a camp director.

Whitney Erickson is a non-profit leader as Executive Director of Open Water; an organization dedicated to supporting members of our military and first responder communities. She is also a mermaid, a pirate, an educator, and a badass. She is also one of the coolest and most authentic people I know. And I've known Whitney for a very long time. She grew up in the waterman world of Orange County. Outrigger, surf, prone paddling, hula and boats; she has forever lived in and on the ocean and has not left it. Her story and her storytelling are rad; full of fun and adventure… but not without trauma. Her path to the place she finds herself today truly seems to be one of destiny and we’re grateful for her role in supporting those that support us.

Kalani Vierra is what I consider modern “Hawaiian Royalty.” He looks and acts the part everyday and in every way. The list of what he does and how he does it is incredible. He is a renowned waterman in his personal and professional worlds and the lines between the two are very much blurred; this is who he is. And he is as cool, humble, dedicated, determined, authentic and as compelling a leader as they come. Professionally, Kalani is a 25+ year lifeguard, the Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau Chief, a renowned Hawaiian waterman, a personal watercraft risk management trainer, active member of the Water Safety Task Force for both the State of Hawai’i and the island of Kauai. And… He is also a board member of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association (HLA), Program Director of Kauai’s Jr. Lifeguards, Pacific Island representative for the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA). He trains elite military personnel in ocean rescue. He has won The USLA Waterman of the Year, the Eddie Aikau Waterman of the Year award, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Associations Waterman of the Year award and was inducted into the Hawaiian Waterman Hall of Fame. He has won multiple tandem surfing world championships, he paddles big water and both surfs and foils massive waves. And… maybe most importantly, Kalani is an incredible role model and leader; in and out of the water.

Kanesa Duncan-Seraphin is world class. She has an unmatched record of 8 wins in the Molokai to Oahu women’s prone paddling world championships and 1x Catalina Classic winner. She has paddled and raced the Molokai channel many times on many craft. Put Kanesa in the ocean and she’s home… both in sport and in her professional world where she has her PhD in marine biology; so she is actually Dr. Kanesa… but don’t call her that. =) She is host and producer of the award winning Voice of the Sea TV program which, through compelling storytelling and breathtaking visuals, highlights pressing issues such as climate change, pollution, and habitat loss, fostering a greater awareness of the challenges our oceans face. She is director at the Hawai‘i Sea Grant Center for Marine Science Education which is dedicated to building partnerships that enhance marine science education at all levels in order to encourage understanding of the environment and the role of humans in it. Kanesa has been inducted into the Hawaiian Waterman Hall of Fame, which is an incredibly well earned recognition for her incredible athletic and professional contributions and accomplishments in and on the ocean.

The island of Kauai continually breeds world class ocean athletes and Kristin Foster is at the top of the outrigger world. A multiple time outrigger World Champion, she has won the Molokai to Oahu solo one-man race twice, has been a part of the top women’s 9-man team for more than a decade, has won this same race in the two person relay event, and has a long, long list of paddling accomplishments in big water. Born and raised on Kauai, Kristen calls the North Shore her home; where she juggles work, family and training at the highest level. Her husband is a first responder and outrigger coach, she’s a mom of two and as humble as they come. Kristin does not like to be in the limelight… She likes to be “stealth” so I am super stoked and grateful that she shared her rad story on the Passion Project.

Spencer Wadsworth and Stu Jeremias. Young guns, good buddies, and great watermen that have some impressive paddling accomplishments under their belts… including a recent World Record. No joke. Both of these guys grew up in and on the water; with full-on surf families. But the similarities in how they grew up in the water is super different. Spencer grew up at the Wedge and as a result, both he and his younger brother make charging heavy waves look easy. Stuey on the other hand grew up on the vintage side of surfing with his dad and uncle both fully immersed in surf history, riding alternative craft and collecting and refurbishing classic boards. Today, both Stu and Spencer work with, and on, boats and are frothy surfers and prone paddlers. Both have done the Catalina Classic and the Ben Carlson Foundation’s Ben Did Go fundraising paddle across the Catalina Channel, the Molokai to Oahu race, and a big adventure when they paddled the English Channel, from England to France; which they accomplished in World Record time. Pretty rad… and they have more big, aspirational and passion filled adventures, and business interests, on the horizon.

Maddie Musselman Woepse has an incredible story; complete with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Through it all her passion, positivity, composure and resilience absolutely shines through. Truly amazing. Maddie’s path to becoming a three time Olympic athlete, a two time gold medalist, Olympic MVP and one of the most decorated athletes in women’s water polo. Her accomplishments are based on those very same traits… and she talks about her incredible journey. Maddie met her match in another “hard charger” in her husband Patrick Woepse. Patrick was a celebrated collegiate 2x NCAA water polo champ who went on to swim both the Catalina Channel and the English Channel. The latter crossing was completed with an incredible group of friends, great conditions and “with a cough.” Shortly after completing that swim that cough was diagnosed as NUT Carcinoma cancer, which sadly took his life after battling for 13 months; at only 31 years old. The story of Pat’s fight, with Maddie by his side, while training for her third Olympics is a chicken skin memoir. Today, Pat’s legacy is vibrant and clearly embodied in the Patrick Woepse Foundation which is focusing on helping others with NUT Carcinoma and operating under Pat’s mantra of “We Can Do Hard Things.” Maddie continues to be a positive and inspirational force in so many ways, to so many people, and is an incredible example of living, and leading by Pat’s mantra… every day.

Tim Burnham does a lot of things… and much of his life has been influenced by his decades of focusing his attention on one of the heaviest and most notorious waves on the planet. The Wedge. The Wedge is an iconic beast of a wave in Newport Beach, CA and when it’s big it is one of the heaviest, most dangerous… and most mesmerizing waves out there. Are there bigger waves? Yes. Are there more dangerous waves? Maybe. Is the Wedge capable of killing you? Absolutely. Tim is part of the Wedge Crew; a community of “characters” that has made their focus the mastery of this mutant of a wave. And Tim tackles it on all craft: bodysurfing, surfing, bodyboarding, knee boarding and even on a surf mat. It’s amazing to watch truly skilled watermen and women, like Tim, wrangle this wave and make it look “fun.” Most people, myself absolutely included, have watched the Wedge for most of my life… from the beach. That’s where most humans belong. In addition to his exploits in waves of consequence, Tim is also a jack of many trades: a filmmaker, a lifeguard, a board member of the Ben Carlson Foundation, a surf movie presenter, a CO2 tolerance instructor, a husband and… a grandpa. Tim is rad. You’ll enjoy this one for sure.

M.C. Sungaila is a passion driven, highly acclaimed and award winning litigator whose advocacy, leadership and service to others have made her a well-regarded pillar of her community. And, her passion to serve goes well beyond her legal skill and experience and manifests itself outside of her daily work, in many ways for the greater good. M.C. shares many traits, the work ethic and mindset of ultra high achievers typically seen by the best of the best; gold medal Olympians, world champions, and the like. But M.C.’s medium isn’t sport… it’s law. She shares the work ethic, determination and mindset that people at the peak of their powers possess, and her many accomplishments and awards speak to this. One of the many notable awards being the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; “for the lasting impact she has made on humanity.” She shares the receipt of this award with 8 US Presidents, numerous Nobel Prize winners, and the like. Wow. That is incredibly high praise and recognition. M.C. is devoted to providing pro bono work related to human rights causes at a very high level. She hosts her podcast The Portia Project which chronicles the storied careers of women judges, lawyers and business leaders to serve as inspiration for its audience of young women in the industry. She has published a series of books called: Mother’s Thoughts for the Day: Twenty-Five Years of Wisdom." She serves, and has served on numerous boards of directors in the area of the arts for decades. And… she’s a legal professor, a mentor, and a sought after legal expert in the realm of appellate law and the newly developing field of Space Law. That’s all. Wow. M.C. Is super impressive and widely recognized for her knowledge, her passion and commitment to serving others. I know you will appreciate this interview with M.C. Sungaila.

Adam Cleary is 3rd generation Newport Beach, California and thus his kids are 4th gen. There are very few families that can claim this. His heritage goes back 100 years in Newport; which was VERY different at that time. Remote, small, nominally populated, agricultural and fishing focused. It was NOT what it is today. Adam’s family has a long history of passions for, and careers associated with, the ocean. A big sailing, boating and surfing family that has close ties with Hawaii going back decades; the family flame for the ocean and surfing has not lessened. Not whatsoever. This is all foundational to Adam’s passion project; Snug Harbor Surf Park. Adam is the brainchild and frontman, along with a deep team of locals, engaged in this project that is in development for Newport Beach. Adam shares the vision, the “why” and provides clarity on what Snug Harbor will be, and what it won’t be. There is a ton of information provided to help the community understand this aspirational and impressive project, what happens if it goes through… and what happens if it doesn’t.

Gael Dutigny is… the most interesting man in the world. Raised in Paris to a father that was an arms dealer, a mother that always worked two jobs in the fitness world, and a grandfather that was a POW during WWII. If you listen closely you can hear the clear impact of his upbringing. He is incredibly well traveled and has lived in 5 countries and speaks three languages fluently. He also has three masters degrees and is contemplating his next one. Gael has been an accomplished journalist for decades and was embedded in Iraq and Afghanistan with the US Army during wartime. He ran the Honolulu Marathon… IN Iraq. He’s run 44 marathons including 8 NYC Marathons and completed 17 Ironmans. He has done MANY ultra distance events including 4 UTMB (Ultra Trail Mont Blanc,) 10 Marathon De Sables (6 days and 155 miles across the Moroccan desert,) 3 Hong Kong 100’s, and many more. And yes, he’s even surfed Teahupoo with Raimana and golfed with Kelly Slater. With all of this in his back pocket, he is equally gnarly and impressive and interesting. You’ll like Gael and his view of the world; as he is not your common guy doing common things. Not even close. Find more about Gael at Ultra Running Magazine On Linked in (Gael Dutigny) On X (@gaeldutigny)

Joel Guy was raised on the North Shore of Kauai. Not only is this area stunning, with an incredibly rich history, but it also happens to produce some of the world’s best surf, and surfers. For these reasons and more, it has also become a major tourist destination. Joel tells the story of growing up there, becoming Andy Irons primary filmer, and traveling the world with Andy and a crew of world class surfers, during the peak of Andy’s competitive domination. Some of the other names include Bruce Irons, Dustin Barca, Roy Powers and more. Top of the top. While traveling the world and spending time at the best surf destinations on the planet, Joel saw and experienced how other communities manage their challenges; challenges very similar to those impacting his home on Kauai. So, for the last two decades, Joel has been passionately involved in the North Shore community, working to navigate the balance between being one of the most beautiful places on the planet; and the resulting impacts of heavy tourism. Today Joel is the Executive Director of the Hanalei Initiative, which works to improve the community and environment of Hanalei and the North Shore of Kauai.

Dr. Tim Brown is a leading name, and an innovator, in the world of chiropractic sports medicine. With more than 40 years of experience working with and on some of the world’s most recognizable athletes, he has built an incredible reputation for his value on the sidelines, in-office and around the world. Tim is the go to for some of the biggest and most recognized athletes and brands out there. You know many of the names. Tim “coaches the coaches” and “mentors the mentors;” and has built an incredible reputation for his knowledge, skill, mastery and his approach to care for world class athletes and us normal folks. And he is both incredibly humble and well spoken. Tim shares his view of health, longevity and sport and tells the story of his path to working with the best of the best.

Erin Tharp is an impressive young woman; and I found her to be cool, smart, well spoken and passionate about her pursuits. From USC undergrad to her masters at UC Irvine, and playing water polo at both universities; she is now pursuing her PHD in marine biology in Florida. Add in a NCAA championship win and becoming a yoga instructor on top of them all; she has accomplished a ton already, at only 24 years old. She is an admitted lover of education, the environment, and making a difference in our oceans. Her passion for coral reefs and shining a light on the challenges we are facing as a planet when it comes to our oceans has resulted in her creation of her non-profit organization, Coralated (www.coralated.org) The opening sentence of Coralated’s mission is “to promote the conservation and restoration of coral reefs and ocean ecosystems through innovative research, inclusive collaboration and adaptive management strategies.” I love to see young, smart and passionate advocates for our environment. This is the generation that will be (and really, already is) saddled with the responsibility to solve the world’s environmental issues that we have sadly left for them. Having people like Erin Tharp pursuing this makes me very happy, proud and provides confidence for the future of our planet.

Jimelle Carlson is amazing. She is the co-founder and leader of Foundations Cognitive Schools; a physical and online school and a methodology that is focused on helping students and families that are navigating learning challenges. What it provides and how it does so is unlike anything that is currently available in the public school system. Foundations approach is to transform the brain, establishing capabilities that did not exist and, thus, begin to instill newfound confidence, and a love of learning, in the students that attend this incredible school. It is having profound results and is being recognized for its impact. Jimelle’s personal path, and her calling, has led her to this role; and her story is incredible. She brings passion and positivity to all she does; and it’s both infectious and wildly beneficial to the families and students she serves.

Dan Levine is a long standing industry leader with an incredible backstory that brought him from the East Coast to the West as part of the strategic plan that he created… when he was 11. From his days at The Gap under the iconic Mickey Drexler to REI, Hurley, RVCA, Skullcandy, Stance and other iconic brands in the surf and outdoor markets; he now operates the premier lifeguard outfitter brand, Original Watermen. Dan’s passion for business, the ocean and for those that work in and on it, is crystal clear, and how he came to this point in his career (and his life) is an extraordinary story.