Rob is a Waves of Wellness' Lead facilitator, with a professional background in mental health - having graduated with an Honours Degree in Psychology from the University of Sydney.

Rob began volunteering as a Surf Mentor with Waves of Wellness towards the end of his psychology degree and has been working as a program facilitator in Sydney ever since.

Rob’s core passions in mental health include providing accessible and equitable therapy and psychoeducation, promoting healthy lifestyle practices and increasing mental health literacy among the general population across Australia.

These passions align directly with the missions of WOW.

IN THIS EPISODE:

·  What is WOW and how did the foundation get started (1.00)

·  Combining clinical mental health therapy and surfing (2.53)

·  The growth of the WOW program (4.09)

·  Where does funding come from (4.50)

·  Who can apply to be a participant in the programs (5.53)

·  Expanding the mental health tool kit (8.60)

·  Social connection as a core value (10.39)

·  Vulnerability and breaking down the ‘four walls’ theory therapy (13.36)

·  Learning what works for you in strengthening your mental health tool kit (20.20)

·  The bullshit barrier – the line where the water meets the sand (22.58)

·  Where is the WOW foundation expanding next and hub sites (23.30)

·  Fostering connections within the community (25.37)

·  Plank up the volume (27.07)

You can find more information about the WOW program across all social media and here:

https://www.foundationwow.org

You can find Tanya across all social media and here:

www.rawheartandsoul.com

Damon Tudor is the CEO and General Manager of URBNSURF. URBNSURF is Australia’s first surf park which is helping people surf more perfect waves, more often. They provide a safe and controlled environment with ocean-like waves that caters to all surfers of any age.

Damon has spent over 20 years in a range of consumer-focused industries across goods and services, including holding key executive roles with African & Eastern Middle East (as part of AB Inbev), Nakheel Middle East and NRMA in Australia.

In this episode of Amongst the Waves, Damon shares the lessons he has learned opening and managing URBNSURF, the different trends in the wave pool industry, and where URBNSURF is headed in the future.

IN THIS EPISODE:

● Damon’s background (00:21)

● Core values of URBNSURF (1:10)

● Surf culture in the ocean vs in surf pools

● Passing the core values to the guests (8:43)

● How Damon deals with negative comments on wave pools (12:55)

● The new trend in wave pools (16:36)

● Managing and understanding waves and currents (19:40)

● The popularity of the industry and how far can it go (25:50)

● Importance of having flexible technology at a wave park (27:26)

● Giving back to the environment (31:49)

● Damon’s learnings from opening wave parks (35:30)

You can find Damon at:

www.urbnsurf.com

You can find Tanya across all social media and at:

www.rawheartandsoul.com

Cris Mills is a surf strength coach and has been in the business for over a decade.

His primary intention with his coaching business is to help surfers improve upon themselves, so that they may not only surf more, but also become injury resistant, and learn how to look after themselves.

Cris has both one-on-one coaching sessions as well as online courses that teach you not only how to surf but how to improve upon and heal the body by focusing on a whole body approach to wellness.

In this episode of Amongst the Waves, Cris shares the lessons he has learned from the past decade of surfing and coaching, his insights on the trajectory of surfing, and how you can balance your passion for surfing while actively looking after your body.

IN THIS EPISODE:

●  How has the Wave Pool changed the face of the way people surf? (4:40)

●  What brought Cris to Australia (6:19)

●  Cris’ primary market in coaching (8:35)

●  The balance between Cris’ online programs and face-to-face clients (10:48)

●  How COVID has changed the landscape of surfing (12:40)

●  Cris’ biggest influence in his career (15:00)

●  Cris’ coaching demographics (18:30)

●  How Cris’ injuries have changed the way he coaches and his programs (23:40)

●  Lessons to learn outside of surfing (27:00)

●  How to listen to your body (30:45)

●  What are the most common surfing injuries? (32:20)

●  How to find the balance of surfing and keeping your body healthy (35:00)

●  The mental health benefits of surfing (38:33)

●  The trajectory of surfing and how surfing in the olympics will change the face of it (40:33)

●  Will there be a division between ocean and wave pools? (52:05)

You will find Cris across all social media and at:

www.surfstrengthcoach.com

You will find Tanya across all social media and at:

www.rawheartandsoul.com