The Mark Schulein Passion Project

Whitney Erickson is a non-profit leader as Executive Director of Open Water; an organization dedicated to supporting members of our military and first responder communities.

She is also a mermaid, a pirate, an educator, and a badass.

She is also one of the coolest and most authentic people I know.

And I've known Whitney for a very long time.

She grew up in the waterman world of Orange County. Outrigger, surf, prone paddling, hula and boats; she has forever lived in and on the ocean and has not left it.

Her story and her storytelling are rad; full of fun and adventure… but not without trauma. Her path to the place she finds herself today truly seems to be one of destiny and we’re grateful for her role in supporting those that support us.

Kalani Vierra is what I consider modern “Hawaiian Royalty.”

He looks and acts the part everyday and in every way.

The list of what he does and how he does it is incredible.

He is a renowned waterman in his personal and professional worlds and the lines between the two are very much blurred; this is who he is.

And he is as cool, humble, dedicated, determined, authentic and as compelling a leader as they come.

Professionally, Kalani is a 25+ year lifeguard, the Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau Chief, a renowned Hawaiian waterman, a personal watercraft risk management trainer, active member of the Water Safety Task Force for both the State of Hawai’i and the island of Kauai. And…

He is also a board member of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association (HLA), Program Director of Kauai’s Jr. Lifeguards, Pacific Island representative for the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA).

He trains elite military personnel in ocean rescue.

He has won The USLA Waterman of the Year, the Eddie Aikau Waterman of the Year award, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Associations Waterman of the Year award and was inducted into the Hawaiian Waterman Hall of Fame.

He has won multiple tandem surfing world championships, he paddles big water and both surfs and foils massive waves.

And… maybe most importantly, Kalani is an incredible role model and leader; in and out of the water.

Kanesa Duncan-Seraphin is world class. She has an unmatched record of 8 wins in the Molokai to Oahu women’s prone paddling world championships and 1x Catalina Classic winner. She has paddled and raced the Molokai channel many times on many craft.

Put Kanesa in the ocean and she’s home… both in sport and in her professional world where she has her PhD in marine biology; so she is actually Dr. Kanesa… but don’t call her that. =)

She is host and producer of the award winning Voice of the Sea TV program which, through compelling storytelling and breathtaking visuals, highlights pressing issues such as climate change, pollution, and habitat loss, fostering a greater awareness of the challenges our oceans face.

She is director at the Hawai‘i Sea Grant Center for Marine Science Education which is dedicated to building partnerships that enhance marine science education at all levels in order to encourage understanding of the environment and the role of humans in it.

Kanesa has been inducted into the Hawaiian Waterman Hall of Fame, which is an incredibly well earned recognition for her incredible athletic and professional contributions and accomplishments in and on the ocean.

The island of Kauai continually breeds world class ocean athletes and Kristin Foster is at the top of the outrigger world. A multiple time outrigger World Champion, she has won the Molokai to Oahu solo one-man race twice, has been a part of the top women’s 9-man team for more than a decade, has won this same race in the two person relay event, and has a long, long list of paddling accomplishments in big water.

Born and raised on Kauai, Kristen calls the North Shore her home; where she juggles work, family and training at the highest level. Her husband is a first responder and outrigger coach, she’s a mom of two and as humble as they come. Kristin does not like to be in the limelight… She likes to be “stealth” so I am super stoked and grateful that she shared her rad story on the Passion Project.

Spencer Wadsworth and Stu Jeremias.

Young guns, good buddies, and great watermen that have some impressive paddling accomplishments under their belts… including a recent World Record. No joke.

Both of these guys grew up in and on the water; with full-on surf families. But the similarities in how they grew up in the water is super different. Spencer grew up at the Wedge and as a result, both he and his younger brother make charging heavy waves look easy. Stuey on the other hand grew up on the vintage side of surfing with his dad and uncle both fully immersed in surf history, riding alternative craft and collecting and refurbishing classic boards.

Today, both Stu and Spencer work with, and on, boats and are frothy surfers and prone paddlers. Both have done the Catalina Classic and the Ben Carlson Foundation’s Ben Did Go fundraising paddle across the Catalina Channel, the Molokai to Oahu race, and a big adventure when they paddled the English Channel, from England to France; which they accomplished in World Record time.

Pretty rad… and they have more big, aspirational and passion filled adventures, and business interests, on the horizon.

Maddie Musselman Woepse has an incredible story; complete with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Through it all her passion, positivity, composure and resilience absolutely shines through. Truly amazing.

Maddie’s path to becoming a three time Olympic athlete, a two time gold medalist, Olympic MVP and one of the most decorated athletes in women’s water polo. Her accomplishments are based on those very same traits… and she talks about her incredible journey.

Maddie met her match in another “hard charger” in her husband Patrick Woepse. Patrick was a celebrated collegiate 2x NCAA water polo champ who went on to swim both the Catalina Channel and the English Channel. The latter crossing was completed with an incredible group of friends, great conditions and “with a cough.” Shortly after completing that swim that cough was diagnosed as NUT Carcinoma cancer, which sadly took his life after battling for 13 months; at only 31 years old.

The story of Pat’s fight, with Maddie by his side, while training for her third Olympics is a chicken skin memoir. Today, Pat’s legacy is vibrant and clearly embodied in the Patrick Woepse Foundation which is focusing on helping others with NUT Carcinoma and operating under Pat’s mantra of “We Can Do Hard Things.” Maddie continues to be a positive and inspirational force in so many ways, to so many people, and is an incredible example of living, and leading by Pat’s mantra… every day.

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)