Jess explores

My image of surfers is quite stereotypical - carefree, lots of abs, and salty hair... Turns out, I was half right.

In this week's episode I explore the ins and outs of surfing, talking about the board itself and what you should do in theory to be able to stand on a board...

P.S. if it sounds like I am demonstrating the steps on how to surf, you are absolutely right, that is exactly what I was doing, although nobody could see it and I was talking to myself...

Being beach-smart is important - in this week's episode I'll discuss rip currents and how you can stay safe in the water.

As with any physical activity, please consult your GP or medical doctor before engaging in any physical and/or water related activity.

Disclaimer: I use riptide and rip current interchangeably, as I am sure many of us do. However, they are not the same thing and no matter how much I reminded myself to call it rip currents, the habit succeeded... A riptide is a tidal current is caused by the tide that pulls water through an inlet - i.e. tide water flows steadily out to sea.

As the weather's heating up (and with that the urge to go to the ocean becomes stronger), I want to explore snorkeling with you! It's one of my favourite ocean-related activities because you don't need much experience, all you need is a snorkel and a mask and you're good to go! So on this week's episode I'll walk you through snorkeling for beginners, an easy guide to get you comfortable in the water and make sure you know what to do when your mask fills up with water!

Please consult with your medical doctor or GP before engaging in any marine-related and physical activity.

As we are moving towards warmer months and warmer waters, I wanted to take a second and talk to you about blue health. It's a new and interesting concept looking at the benefits humans can get from interacting with the ocean.

I love being in/on/at/by the ocean, so a couple weeks ago, I tried a new way of enjoying the marine space - through sea kayaking. I took a 2-day-course a couple weeks ago and what started as a fun excursion quickly transitioned into a nightmare of hand-eye-coordination resulting in very sore muscles and a somewhat painful sun tan... So, quickly summarised: a successful excursion.

As with anything active, please consult with your doctor before undertaking any physical activities.

Sometimes I find myself in situations where I am somewhat lost. I know what I do is important and I typically can remember why I started to begin with, but when you loose sight of what is important, it becomes difficult to really make sense of it all. To avoid that utter confusion, it is important to ground yourself - find something that makes you go out of your own head and come back to what really matters. For that, I call my parents and we talk about anything for hours on end - you may do yoga, or you may go for a run, or do anything else to ground yourself. What you do, doesn't really matter as long as you find a mechanisms that makes sure you're not utterly lost.

P.S. Yes, this episode too has suffered the dog-barking-treatment, which is why the audio may be a bit quiet but on the plus side my dog was very happy barking to her heart's content.

Have you ever felt completely misunderstood or thought you knew exactly what you and your partner or colleague were talking about and then learnt that you couldn't be further from the truth? Misunderstandings like that make life very difficult and challenging when they don't have to be!

On this week's episode I explore the power of language and definitions and why this is such an important way to create trust and build a long-lasting workforce but how it can also create barriers for new employees and can be incredibly isolating.

P.S. Yes, this episode too has suffered the dog-barking-treatment, which is why the audio may be a bit quiet but on the plus side my dog was very happy barking to her heart's content.

When I was in school, my math teacher always used to say, "what you learn in this class will be usable in your other classes". That never made sense to me - was I supposed to calculate how many words per hour someone could write in class? It wasn't until much later that I understood the real lesson - the ability to take something I learnt in one context and use that knowledge, and the skills acquired in a completely different context. Transferable skills - as we like to call this learning experience.

Join me today, as I talk about my 10+ years of sales experience and some funny anecdotes and how that relates to what I do today and how you too should not disregard experiences you've made in different contexts. They are all beneficial because they enable you to see the world in a unique way.

World Oceans Day takes place every year on June 8th! This year's theme is The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods where we celebrate and shine a light on all that we've been up to in the realm of ocean space. To find out more about how to get involved, please visit: https://www.un.org/en/observances/oceans-day