Tim Burnham does a lot of things… and much of his life has been influenced by his decades of focusing his attention on one of the heaviest and most notorious waves on the planet. The Wedge.

The Wedge is an iconic beast of a wave in Newport Beach, CA and when it’s big it is one of the heaviest, most dangerous… and most mesmerizing waves out there. Are there bigger waves? Yes. Are there more dangerous waves? Maybe. Is the Wedge capable of killing you? Absolutely.

Tim is part of the Wedge Crew; a community of “characters” that has made their focus the mastery of this mutant of a wave. And Tim tackles it on all craft: bodysurfing, surfing, bodyboarding, knee boarding and even on a surf mat. It’s amazing to watch truly skilled watermen and women, like Tim, wrangle this wave and make it look “fun.” Most people, myself absolutely included, have watched the Wedge for most of my life… from the beach. That’s where most humans belong.

In addition to his exploits in waves of consequence, Tim is also a jack of many trades: a filmmaker, a lifeguard, a board member of the Ben Carlson Foundation, a surf movie presenter, a CO2 tolerance instructor, a husband and… a grandpa.

Tim is rad. You’ll enjoy this one for sure.

M.C. Sungaila is a passion driven, highly acclaimed and award winning litigator whose advocacy, leadership and service to others have made her a well-regarded pillar of her community. And, her passion to serve goes well beyond her legal skill and experience and manifests itself outside of her daily work, in many ways for the greater good.

M.C. shares many traits, the work ethic and mindset of ultra high achievers typically seen by the best of the best; gold medal Olympians, world champions, and the like. But M.C.’s medium isn’t sport… it’s law.

She shares the work ethic, determination and mindset that people at the peak of their powers possess, and her many accomplishments and awards speak to this.

One of the many notable awards being the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; “for the lasting impact she has made on humanity.” She shares the receipt of this award with 8 US Presidents, numerous Nobel Prize winners, and the like. Wow. That is incredibly high praise and recognition.

M.C. is devoted to providing pro bono work related to human rights causes at a very high level.

She hosts her podcast The Portia Project which chronicles the storied careers of women judges, lawyers and business leaders to serve as inspiration for its audience of young women in the industry.

She has published a series of books called: Mother’s Thoughts for the Day: Twenty-Five Years of Wisdom." She serves, and has served on numerous boards of directors in the area of the arts for decades.

And… she’s a legal professor, a mentor, and a sought after legal expert in the realm of appellate law and the newly developing field of Space Law. That’s all. Wow.

M.C. Is super impressive and widely recognized for her knowledge, her passion and commitment to serving others. I know you will appreciate this interview with M.C. Sungaila.

Adam Cleary is 3rd generation Newport Beach, California and thus his kids are 4th gen. There are very few families that can claim this. His heritage goes back 100 years in Newport; which was VERY different at that time. Remote, small, nominally populated, agricultural and fishing focused. It was NOT what it is today.

Adam’s family has a long history of passions for, and careers associated with, the ocean. A big sailing, boating and surfing family that has close ties with Hawaii going back decades; the family flame for the ocean and surfing has not lessened. Not whatsoever.

This is all foundational to Adam’s passion project; Snug Harbor Surf Park. Adam is the brainchild and frontman, along with a deep team of locals, engaged in this project that is in development for Newport Beach.

Adam shares the vision, the “why” and provides clarity on what Snug Harbor will be, and what it won’t be. There is a ton of information provided to help the community understand this aspirational and impressive project, what happens if it goes through… and what happens if it doesn’t.

Gael Dutigny is… the most interesting man in the world.

Raised in Paris to a father that was an arms dealer, a mother that always worked two jobs in the fitness world, and a grandfather that was a POW during WWII. If you listen closely you can hear the clear impact of his upbringing.

He is incredibly well traveled and has lived in 5 countries and speaks three languages fluently. He also has three masters degrees and is contemplating his next one.

Gael has been an accomplished journalist for decades and was embedded in Iraq and Afghanistan with the US Army during wartime. He ran the Honolulu Marathon… IN Iraq.

He’s run 44 marathons including 8 NYC Marathons and completed 17 Ironmans. He has done MANY ultra distance events including 4 UTMB (Ultra Trail Mont Blanc,) 10 Marathon De Sables (6 days and 155 miles across the Moroccan desert,) 3 Hong Kong 100’s, and many more.

And yes, he’s even surfed Teahupoo with Raimana and golfed with Kelly Slater.

With all of this in his back pocket, he is equally gnarly and impressive and interesting.

You’ll like Gael and his view of the world; as he is not your common guy doing common things. Not even close.

Find more about Gael at Ultra Running Magazine

On Linked in (Gael Dutigny)

On X (@gaeldutigny)

Joel Guy was raised on the North Shore of Kauai. Not only is this area stunning, with an incredibly rich history, but it also happens to produce some of the world’s best surf, and surfers. For these reasons and more, it has also become a major tourist destination.

Joel tells the story of growing up there, becoming Andy Irons primary filmer, and traveling the world with Andy and a crew of world class surfers, during the peak of Andy’s competitive domination. Some of the other names include Bruce Irons, Dustin Barca, Roy Powers and more. Top of the top.

While traveling the world and spending time at the best surf destinations on the planet, Joel saw and experienced how other communities manage their challenges; challenges very similar to those impacting his home on Kauai.

So, for the last two decades, Joel has been passionately involved in the North Shore community, working to navigate the balance between being one of the most beautiful places on the planet; and the resulting impacts of heavy tourism.

Today Joel is the Executive Director of the Hanalei Initiative, which works to improve the community and environment of Hanalei and the North Shore of Kauai.

Dr. Tim Brown is a leading name, and an innovator, in the world of chiropractic sports medicine. With more than 40 years of experience working with and on some of the world’s most recognizable athletes, he has built an incredible reputation for his value on the sidelines, in-office and around the world. Tim is the go to for some of the biggest and most recognized athletes and brands out there.

You know many of the names.

Tim “coaches the coaches” and “mentors the mentors;” and has built an incredible reputation for his knowledge, skill, mastery and his approach to care for world class athletes and us normal folks.

And he is both incredibly humble and well spoken.

Tim shares his view of health, longevity and sport and tells the story of his path to working with the best of the best.

Erin Tharp is an impressive young woman; and I found her to be cool, smart, well spoken and passionate about her pursuits.

From USC undergrad to her masters at UC Irvine, and playing water polo at both universities; she is now pursuing her PHD in marine biology in Florida. Add in a NCAA championship win and becoming a yoga instructor on top of them all; she has accomplished a ton already, at only 24 years old.

She is an admitted lover of education, the environment, and making a difference in our oceans.

Her passion for coral reefs and shining a light on the challenges we are facing as a planet when it comes to our oceans has resulted in her creation of her non-profit organization, Coralated (www.coralated.org)

The opening sentence of Coralated’s mission is “to promote the conservation and restoration of coral reefs and ocean ecosystems through innovative research, inclusive collaboration and adaptive management strategies.”

I love to see young, smart and passionate advocates for our environment. This is the generation that will be (and really, already is) saddled with the responsibility to solve the world’s environmental issues that we have sadly left for them.

Having people like Erin Tharp pursuing this makes me very happy, proud and provides confidence for the future of our planet.

Jimelle Carlson is amazing. She is the co-founder and leader of Foundations Cognitive Schools; a physical and online school and a methodology that is focused on helping students and families that are navigating learning challenges. What it provides and how it does so is unlike anything that is currently available in the public school system.

Foundations approach is to transform the brain, establishing capabilities that did not exist and, thus, begin to instill newfound confidence, and a love of learning, in the students that attend this incredible school. It is having profound results and is being recognized for its impact.

Jimelle’s personal path, and her calling, has led her to this role; and her story is incredible. She brings passion and positivity to all she does; and it’s both infectious and wildly beneficial to the families and students she serves.

Dan Levine is a long standing industry leader with an incredible backstory that brought him from the East Coast to the West as part of the strategic plan that he created… when he was 11.

From his days at The Gap under the iconic Mickey Drexler to REI, Hurley, RVCA, Skullcandy, Stance and other iconic brands in the surf and outdoor markets; he now operates the premier lifeguard outfitter brand, Original Watermen.

Dan’s passion for business, the ocean and for those that work in and on it, is crystal clear, and how he came to this point in his career (and his life) is an extraordinary story.

Lauren Segal found her calling to help those impacted by social injustice, early on. Since a teen, her passion has been to help those in underserved and heavily impacted communities. I happen to have grown up with Lauren and have watched her along this path; always striving to make a difference on big and challenging issues impacting our world.

Today she is the co-founder and Executive Director of GiveABeat.org; a non-profit dedicated to providing music education as a vital tool to end the cycle of mass incarceration in the US. That is a lofty goal. Give A Beat works IN the US prison system to help empower individuals with creative outlets for self expression and personal growth. Their music education programs help to heal individuals and communities affected by incarceration, cultivate creative career opportunities and redirect lives.

Lauren’s calling is to help others. That is what she does everyday.

We need more Laurens.