In this inspiring conversation, we sit down with Wishulada — social activist artist and creative force based in Nonthaburi, Thailand — whose extraordinary work transforms discarded waste materials into breathtaking sculptures and installations.
From upcycled plastics to everyday throwaway items, Wishulada  weaves together Thailand's rich tradition of handcraft with a powerful message about sustainability, community, and cultural identity. We explore how art can be the universal language that shifts mindsets — especially among younger generations who are losing touch with their roots.

In this episode of the Vastlife Podcast, we sit down with Tapiwa — a man who is genuinely difficult to put in a box, and who would prefer it that way. Originally from Zimbabwe and rooted in Cape Town for over two decades, Tapiwa moves fluidly between food, visual art and sex education — not as separate careers, but as a single, unified mission: to make the lived experience of Afro-descendant people richer, more joyful and more honest.

We met him during a deliberate sabbatical — a conscious uncoupling from the noise of the world — and the timing couldn't have been better for a conversation this deep.
In this conversation we explore:

Why Tapiwa refuses titles — not an artist, not a chef, not an educator — just someone doing the work
Growing up in a vast extended family compound in Zimbabwe, weeding fields before school and learning to live communally — and why that foundation still shapes everything,

The grapefruit philosophy — why sometimes you need to taste things raw, without the sugar coating, to truly understand them.

Street food as one of the most honest expressions of a culture — and what gets lost when food crosses borders.

 The concept of Sankofa — moving forward while carrying the past — and how to do that without dragging the rot with you.

Why anger and hatred are simply too much work, and why joy is the more radical choice
Children as truth-tellers — and why we silence the ones most likely to speak plainly.

Being the eldest son in a patrilineal African family — and what it means to step into that role while disagreeing with most of what it asks of you.

His series "Ancestors in Progress" — and why the ancestral work isn't something you do after you die, it's something you do right now

This is one of the most thought-provoking conversations we've had on Vastlife. Tapiwa doesn't shy away from complexity — he lives in it. And he makes it look like the most natural thing in the world.
Vastlife.com | Stories from people living life on their own terms

In this episode of the Vastlife Podcast, Steve sits down with Atsushi — a longboarder shaped by movement, curiosity, and a refusal to settle.

Raised in the coastal town of Shiratsuka in Kanagawa, his early ambitions lay in football. But years spent commuting into Tokyo, working within the rhythms of retail and routine, led to a quieter realisation — that the path in front of him wasn’t one he intended to follow.

What followed was a deliberate departure. From Japan to Hawaii, through Australia and along the Californian coast, and eventually to Danang, Vietnam — where he has built a life anchored in surfing, simplicity, and self-direction.

It’s a conversation about choosing the long route, about stepping away from expectation, and about the kind of clarity that only arrives once you leave the familiar behind.

In this episode of the Vastlife Podcast, Steve sits down with UG in his coastal studio in Chigasaki, Japan — a quiet, considered space that reflects a life rebuilt with intention.

Raised on the remote Goto Islands, UG once set his sights on professional football, before injury redirected him toward nursing and rehabilitation. What followed was less a pivot than a collapse — burnout, disillusionment, and a period of deep withdrawal that stripped life down to its bare essentials.

What emerges from that low point is a story shaped not by grand gestures, but by small, deliberate steps. A chance encounter. A solo journey across Asia. The slow return of purpose through movement, language, and the sea.

It’s a conversation about endurance, about starting again, and about the quiet discipline required to find your way back.

In this episode, Steve sits down with Samantha — the sole owner of Earth House, one of Bangkok's most enchanting plant-based restaurants. Hidden away behind a towering mango tree and lush vines, Earth House is more than a restaurant — it's a philosophy made manifest.

Born in Texas to a Swiss father and Mexican-Native American mother, Samantha grew up barefoot on the beaches of Pattaya, Thailand. She's always marched to the beat of her own drum — and that spirit is woven into every corner of this extraordinary space she built from the ground up (literally, from a shell of pillars and a big hole in the ground).

In this conversation we explore:

How Samantha went plant-based 10 years ago and built a restaurant around whole, real ingredients — no fake meats, no shortcuts

Earth House's organic farm project on the outskirts of Bangkok, run in partnership with a children's charity that benefits from the produce they grow

A carefully curated wine list of 34 biodynamic and natural wines — because great plant-based dining deserves the full experience

The wild renovation story behind the space — and why a single mango tree changed everything

What keeps her passion alive, her team culture, and what's next for the Earth House brand

"Nature always wins" — and Samantha is living proof that if you pour enough soul into something, it blooms.

Find Earth House Bangkok: www.earthhousebangkok.com
Vastlife.com | Stories from people living closer to the earth

#EarthHouse #Bangkok #PlantBased #VastLife #SustainableFood #FarmToTable #VeganRestaurant #BangkokEats #WomenInBusiness #NatureAlwaysWins

Frank Solomon is a disruptor. Starting his journey out as a professional surfer Frank quickly found his resolve in doing what matters most to him. Community leader, humanitarian and sustainability spokesperson.

His seat of motivation behind Sentinel Ocean  Alliance is recognising the need to get involved with the underprivileged community in his hometown of Hout Bay , South Africa. They say charity begins at home - for Frank this is more than that. This is about a grass route upliftment program backed by Parley.tv 

''My goal is to provide a platform, a stepping stone for kids who have suffered at the hands of poverty and wealth mismanagement. In the hope that those who choose to embrace the path will go on to become the disruptors that motivate and drive change' in a positive way'. says Solomon.

Sho is a one of a kind human being. His goal is to remain as low key as possible. Our conversation was in downtown Yokohama, Japan. 

Sho's studio is hidden in the shadows, blink and you will miss it. This is just how Sho likes to conduct his life - low key and true to himself. The studio holds a special place in his heart, as a child his parents would bring him there to eat Sushi - little did he know that this below street level space would become his creative hub. 

Some may call it a man cave others might see it as a workshop of sorts, Sho's passion for Fashion, Surfing, skateboarding and bikes is evident the minute you walk through the door. His goal is to continue remaining true to his passions, to keep an inner child alive one of which is driven by 'feeling good' joy and good energy. 

This episode is about Sho's quest to keep his stoke alive while sharing his creative path and passions with his community.

Barton and Steve sit down for a candid conversation on the state of surfing. Filmed in 2024 at Barton’s home on Sunset Beach, the discussion reads today almost like a forecast — a reflection on an industry in transition.

Barton calls things as he sees them. Direct and unvarnished, he praises the foundations that once defined the surf industry while acknowledging, with equal candour, its gradual demise. In this episode, he offers a measured perspective shaped by decades both inside and alongside the culture.

His outlook has long been forged through independence. Losing his father at a young age meant learning early to chart his own course. That sense of self-reliance — coupled with an enduring love for surfing and the people around it — has made Barton a familiar voice across the global surf community. Known for his open-book manner and heart-on-sleeve commentary, he speaks with a mix of warmth and conviction.

The conversation moves easily between past and present: the formative moments that shaped him, the evolution of the sport, and where surfing may yet be headed.

Yudai is one of those individuals where you feel an immediate presence. An aura of warmth and kindness.

In this episode Steve and Yudai meet up at his popular little coffee shop in Chigasaki Japan. A small yet cosy space that is an extension of Yudai's low key, beautifully curated humble approach to life. They discuss his childhood struggle of finding his path through failure & experimentation. 

Although Yudai was always near the ocean as a child, his love for Surfing was tainted by an aggressive approach to its introduction by his father. He decided that Baseball and later on Basketball were going to be stepping stones, chapters of curiosity. All of which led to a later reconnection to Surfing and the Ocean. 

In a somewhat crazy pivot - Yudai decided to take up Drift car racing. a passion that is still with him today. 

Yudai's journey is testimony to his curious, inquisitive nature. His latest projects which include owing his own boutique coffee shop, organic micro farming to building farm to table experiences, are all part of his bigger dreams.

Bernie Shelly is no stranger to the South african surfing community. Bernie has been surfing for half a century. 5O years of wave riding, while navigating family life, motherhood whilst majoring in psychology at Cape Town university. 

Bernie and steve discuss what it was like in those early days, when surfing was relatively new in South Africa. 

Bernie goes on to relate stories of old and her close knit community with South African surfing legend John Whitmore. She also relates to her becoming a journalist and sacrificing surfing to raise her children.
 
The conversation centers itself around the female surfing community and the challenges which accompanied the then very male dominated sport.
 
Bernie's ability to take on varying roles throughout her life is testimony to her spirited approach to life. 

Over the years she has been a major inspiration to many up and coming female surfers from her hometown of Cape Town. 
Join us for a heartwarming surfing heritage story from the deep South in Cape Town.