Intriguing Beings Podcast

Leo Koenig, the founder of WOO Sports, shares his journey of getting into the water sports world and developing the WOO device. The small blue box that attaches to a kiteboard and measures the height of jumps. Leo discusses the challenges of manufacturing and finding reliable suppliers and the importance of trust and good relationships in business. He also talks about the decision to narrow the company's focus to kiteboarding and its impact on the sport. The journey of developing the WOO device was filled with challenges and setbacks, but the team persevered. They had to overcome waterproofing issues, component obsolescence, and manufacturing challenges. The WOO 4.0 is a significant improvement from the original device, with advancements in technology, motion sensors, and the device's sealing. The WOO community has grown to 45,000 members, and the device has invigorated the sport of kiteboarding by making it more fun. Safety is a priority for WOO, and they aim to promote responsible use of the device. The company also plans to formalise the world record chase and attract more spectators and sponsors to the sport. WOO uses rotation information from the board to accurately detect jumps. They have systems in place to detect and address any measurement errors or cheating attempts. Self-policing is encouraged within the community, and WOO has automated systems and a human referee to ensure fair competition. WOO's competition pushes them to improve and educate the market about the science and technology behind their product. They have joined forces with Boards and More to offload non-value-adding tasks and focus on delivering even more value to customers. WOO is constantly working on new developments and innovations.

I sit down with Philip Schinnagel from CORE, one of the world's largest watersports brands based out of Fehmarn in Germany.

I sit down in a rare opportunity to have both Raphael Salles and his son Julien in the room together. Raphael started F-ONE at the end of the 90's and it's grown to become one of the biggest watersports businesses in the world. Julien was never that keen to work at the family business but when the opportunity arose to head up Manera, their wetsuit and accessory brand he changed his tune and is now poised to become the CEO of the whole company when Raph eventually decides to retire. We talk business, sports and downwind SUP in this incredible conversation...

Back in January, I sat down with Kent Marinkovic, a long-time waterman and businessman who is currently the CEO of Cabrinha. One of the world's largest watersports companies, we talk about the old days, the new days and everything in between! Enjoy!

I sit down with Till Eberle to talk all things Duotone, the rebrand of Fanatic and how the industry has been during these difficult times... It's an episode that is well worth a listen!

I've wanted to get Hannah on the podcast for a while now, so this was a great opportunity to catch up. I've known Hannah since the start of her kiteboarding career, and to see her progress from a young talent to a global superstar of the sport has been impressive. Now she has cultivated a career through social media that most can only dream of. She still rips on the water and is as passionate about kiteboarding today as she was when she first fell in love all those years ago!

Multiple world champion Titouan Galea sits down with me to chat about where he came from and how he embraced the sport of wing foiling so quickly. His kite-foil skills were an easy transfer, and his career has been nothing short of exceptional so far. Recently he moved to Cabrinha, and he loves the new gear and the new team!

Ex US Special Forces and brewery founder Scott Harrison sits down with me to talk about some of his adventures in various warzones over the years, his love of brewing beer and how kiteboarding brought all that together to put us in the same room in Mexico. The world moves in mysterious ways, and this episode is well worth a listen. 

Ralf Grösel is one of the highest functioning humans I know, a kite designer, paragliding designer, racing car driver and successful businessman his accolades are many. He recently got in touch to invite me to North Macedonia to have a look at Brainchild Production, a new project which has set up a sustainable production facility in the country. At a time when shipping costs are through the roof, a European factory makes a lot more sense; the extra labour costs are offset by lower shipping costs. However, it also presents an opportunity to create something from the ground up, and when you start from the beginning, it's possible to rethink the entire production process. Ralf has done this with sustainability at the core of the ethos, but it goes much further than that with attention to detail and a finished product that literally blew my mind it's well worth listening to this episode to see what the future holds for watersports production. 

As promised a new episode with an old favourite, Dom Moore. Last time we spoke he was embarking on treatment for the big C. This time he's in the clear, sober, surfing and learning science. We have an entertaining conversation about what he's been up to, his 9 odd months sober and how he hasn't bought any meat or fish in the last 5 or so years, instead spearfishing and hunting for his protein. 

It might not be for everyone, but it's an enjoyable conversation all the same!