About this episode
Freesurfer Leah Dawson peels back the layers and dares to ask: "What makes me feel most like myself?" and "How is my surfing an extension of that self?" There are many ways to be male, and many ways to be female. Though our culture is full of prescriptions for how to do it the “right” way. Leah Dawson thanks surfing for leading her along the path to honouring her femininity. Exploring retro-to-modern single fins, twin fins, finless boards, and shaping herself, Leah is among a small handful of surfers who seek to explore the spectrum of wave sizes and crafts. Leah's is a story about asking the tough questions of ourselves, confronting societal expectations, the power of mentorship, and finding ourselves more fully within the context of a loving community. She also shares some of the wisdom from her daughterly experiences with legendary Gerry Lopez. Leah Dawson is a professional surfer, filmmaker and co-founder of the Changing Tides Foundation, which empowers women and girls through travel and surfing. changingtidesfoundation.org @LeahLoves ........ Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound Engineer: Shannon Sol Carroll Join the conversation: Waterpeoplepodcast.com @Waterpeoplepodcast Photo Credit: Paka Apparel Send us a text ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter . You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.