Esther Sayers is a role model to us all. Her name comes up in so many conversations in this community; it seems all roads lead to her. She took up skateboarding at the age of 47, and continues to enjoy the sport to this day, despite a substantial injury to her fingers. She runs the MA Arts and Learning program at Goldsmiths and brings her experience of skateboarding in to her academic work. 

In this conversation, Esther touches on coming back to skateboarding after her injury and overcoming fear to do so; what a drop in is; skating without pads; ageing and menopause, and subverting the narrative of decline; and how skateboarding has changed her relationship with her children. 

Episode highlights:

• The battle scars of falling
• The feeling of skating without pads (when it’s safe to do so)
• Bowl skating, dropping in, and gaining confidence 
• Strategies on overcoming fear (especially after an injury)
• Skating as a family
• Menopause, ageing and skateboarding

More about Esther:

@esthersayers

Dr Esther Sayers

Places Esther mentions:

House of Vans Skatepark

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host - Caroline Keylock

Producer - Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Known globally for her graceful and seemingly effortless moves on a longboard, Valeriya is a brilliantly talented skateboarder and the founder of @the_longboard_camp and co-founder of with @axel.massin. Their Insta films are so popular that one of their clips has been viewed 13 million times. Valeriya now runs sold-out skate camps throughout the year, and hundreds of students have completed her online course.

In this conversation, Valeriya explains what longboard dancing is, and how she came to it; why she set up the Longboard Camp; how women of all ages are stepping in to this arena; the importance of welcoming in difficult feelings of insecurity and imposter syndrome; and how she is now trying to find more of a balance in her life again. 

Episode content and highlights:

• It’s ok to fall. 
• What is longboard dancing?
• Feeling the flow - let your moves unfold. 
• You’re never too old to start.
• Welcome the feeling of insecurity - lack of confidence is a part of it.
• It’s ok to be ordinary and to fail.
• Burning out and finding a balance again. 
• Choose better and set priorities. 
• Taking a break from social media.
• Skating is a happy moment of flow and expression.

More about Valeriya:

@valeriya_gogunskaya

The Longboard Camp

@the_longboard_camp

Join the Board Women movement:

boardwomen.co

@boardwomen

Host - Caroline Keylock

Producer - Selma Chalabi

Photography - Clare Keylock

Artwork - Rozi Wan Rimli 

Music - Brother Brother by Benjamin Caleb Johnson, performed by BENSON

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.