Dropping In to Power Podcast

23/12/2023

💜New Episode - Auntie Mo💜

On Halloween of 2023, when shared her (now viral) video, we fell in love with a salty New England surfer hurling clean insults and sage advice to an offending “whippasnappa” in the lineup. “Auntie Mo” barreled into our hearts and has since graced our feeds with her elixir of deep surf knowledge, self-deprecating humor, and truly helpful surf (and life) tips embedded in gentle ribbing. Talking to the "the whole Mo," I discovered that “Auntie Mo” is a character she created to manage her own grumpiness about the bulging surf scene and her body’s refusal to act like a grom. For the usual flow of this podcast, Mo’s story is in reverse. An accomplished surfer since youth, she is learning to bring a beginner’s stoke back to her surfing as her ability declines. The whole Mo does not disappoint! She is brilliant, compassionate, articulate, thoughtful, kind, and funny. She is also an incredible talent - writer, photographer, shaper, triathlete, and storyteller. You may be surprised to hear the accent slip away, but the heart and soul of “Auntie Mo” shine through every moment in our interview as she espouses her ultimate mission:  "Share the stoke, and spread the stoke.” But heart-forward as she is, she is no shrinking violet. She has plenty to say about how contests temporarily killed surfboard innovation, why so many people are still riding the wrong boards, and why surfers need to play not just the big notes, but the long ones. 

Link in bio ✅ or search for Dropping In To Power wherever you listen

21/11/2023

Aloha Podcast Friends! As you may know, I run a one-woman passion project with this podcast. I love it! And...it does come with operating costs of about $50/month. If you feel so inclined, you can now support the podcast by buying me a coffee! ☕️☕️☕️ I appreciate you!

I am obsessed with how the power of surfing, and the ocean, changes the lives of women forever.

15/11/2023

💜New Episode!💜

“Moments before drowning, she became the sea.” - Mermaid’s Lament

In this episode, we temporarily ditch our surfboards and plunge into the raw power of the ocean, its intersection with salvation, and creativity. I talk with the director and stars of Mermaid’s Lament, a film about trauma, grief, resilience, imagination and…mermaids! Shot entirely on the island of Hawaii with a regional cast and crew, director has created, in his words, “a love letter to all people who find peace in the ocean.” Stars Dayva Summer Escobar and Justina Mattos share their stories of breath-holding, fire-breathing, reef-harrowing ocean stunts, the surreal experience of being surrounded by dozens of mermaids, the development of trust, and the power of risk. We dig into the heart of art, and I couldn’t help but feeling, as we talked, that perhaps this surge in women’s surfing, and women’s community, is its own art form. As Dayva says, “Our job as human beings is to tell stories and share experiences that make everybody else feel less alone.” And, in surfing, art, and life, may we all follow GB’s advice, “Go out there and fail wondrously.” Listen and enjoy the passion and brilliance of these deeply authentic artists and if you are on the island, don’t miss it on the big screen!

11/17, 7pm, Hilo Palace Theater Tickets: https://ticketing.uswest.veezi.com/purchase/716?siteToken=gm8khysj2xp8q7h501dqxk57cg

Silent Auction of Movie Memorabilia to benefit the Palace: https://givebutter.com/c/mermaidslament/auction

11/25, 7pm, Aloha Theatre Tickets: https://prod5.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=347091

12/15, 5:30pm Honoka'a People's Theater: TBA

Mermaids' Lament Mermaids' Lament Aloha Theater Screening Mermaids’ Lament Premiere at the Hilo Palace Theater

Mentions , OneOcean Diving

19/09/2023

Happy 18th Birthday (last week) to my brave, brilliant and beautiful daughter, . And thank you for taking me on the ocean experience of a lifetime! Swimming with these magnificent beings was thrilling, humbling, and strangely serene. I cannot say enough about the crew and mission of and the beautiful photography of Bree and all the divers! Their love of the sharks, the ocean, and their mission to educate the world about the critical importance of these apex predators will calm your jitters. I am still floating in that deep blue, feeling primordial and anointed.

16/08/2023

💜New Episode💜

“Surfing well with a smile is the best revenge.” Mindy Pennybacker

🏄‍♀️ Mindy Eun Soo Pennybacker, lifelong soul surfer, author, journalist, and surf columnist for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, just released the gorgeous tome, Surfing Sisterhood Hawaii, a history, celebration, and, really, guidebook for how women have ruled and can rule the waves! Her axiom, “Our place is in the waves," leaps off of every page, a celebration of ordinary and extraordinary women surfers with a shared love of surfing. Mindy’s personal story spans the whole saga of women elbowing their way onto waves from Gidget to today, and glorious moments in between the jostling. Mindy jokingly calls herself a “brain in a jar,” which is accurate only in reference to her intelligence and wit. In this episode, we cover a lot of ground! She recounts tales of the great Hawaiian surf goddesses who were revered, and coveted, for their prowess. The struggle with body image and sense of self, even with the most accomplished women surfers, like Carissa Moore (whom she interviewed twice for her book). She digs into the gender wars in the lineup, with brilliant solutions for the onslaught of the three invaders: hotshots, visitors and groms. We delve into what it was like growing up in Hawaii in the surf scene of the 60s and 70s, the Tonng’s gang of boys who encouraged and protected her, being marginalized, alternately dropped in on and mentored by famous watermen, being nearly beaten up, and being cheered. What else? Pro surfing, friendships, harrowing moments, pioneers, life. And, being accidentally barreled. Mindy talked to countless women, famous and not, for her book. Their stories are now woven into hers, and ours. Don’t miss this episode!

Buy the book: https://mutualpublishing.com/.../surfing-sisterhood-hawaii/
Pc: 1 & 2 (Mindy on wave, walking out of water) copyright Eric Y. Yanagi.
Pc 3 & 4 Generations of surfers, Dennis Oda
Pc 4 & 5, courtesy Mindy
Surfers Evelyn Black, Mindy, Kai’ulu Downing, Kim Heyer, Isabel Cleofe, Mikayla Brennan

07/08/2023

💜New Episode💜
“Surfing well with a smile is the best revenge.” Mindy Pennybacker
🏄‍♀️ Mindy Pennybacker, lifelong soul surfer, author, journalist, and surf columnist for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, just released the gorgeous tome, Surfing Sisterhood Hawaii, a history, celebration, and, really, guidebook for how women have ruled and can rule the waves! Her axiom, “Our place is in the waves,"  leaps off of every page, a celebration of ordinary and extraordinary women surfers with a shared love of surfing. Mindy’s personal story spans the whole saga of women elbowing their way onto waves from Gidget to today, and glorious moments in between the jostling. Mindy jokingly calls herself a “brain in a jar,” which is accurate only in reference to her intelligence and wit. In this episode, we cover a lot of ground! She recounts tales of the great Hawaiian surf goddesses who were revered, and coveted, for their prowess. The struggle with body image and sense of self, even with the most accomplished women surfers, like Carissa Moore (whom she interviewed twice for her book). She digs into the gender wars in the lineup, with brilliant solutions for the onslaught of the three invaders: hotshots, visitors and groms. We delve into what it was like growing up in Hawaii in the surf scene of the 60s and 70s, the Tonng’s gang of boys who encouraged and protected her, being marginalized, alternately dropped in on and mentored by famous watermen, being nearly beaten up, and being cheered. What else? Pro surfing, friendships, harrowing moments, pioneers, life. And, being accidentally barreled. Mindy talked to countless women, famous and not, for her book. Their stories are now woven into hers, and ours. Don’t miss this episode! 
Buy the book: https://mutualpublishing.com/product/surfing-sisterhood-hawaii/

Pc: 1 & 2 (Mindy on wave, walking out of water) copyright Eric Y. Yanagi.
Pc 3 & 4 Generations of surfers, Dennis Oda
Pc 4 & 5, courtesy Mindy
Surfers Evelyn Black, Mindy, Kai’ulu Downing, Kim Heyer, Isabel Cleofe, Mikayla Brennan

29/06/2023

🏄‍♀️💙 New Episode💙🏄‍♀️

“To be in the water like this is to be in movement to a musical note, it is to be one with color while painting, to be with a line while drawing.” From her upcoming book, Break.

, Korean-American author, educator, speaker and self-proclaimed “bad surfer” came to surfing with a dream - to stop the splintering of her family. Instead, the ocean exposed the jagged, reef-like edges, of her marriage, and herself. Though her relationship with water has been complex—the haunting of a childhood near-drowning, years of phobia, and a hella long learning curve to swim—the ocean finally called her home, becoming an integral part of her story, and her life. Through the sublime and the savage, surfing is teaching her to listen to her body, a place once ignored by her powerful mind. Steph’s writing, like her speaking, is ferocious, visceral, intentional, and empowering. As a producer for Hawaii P***c Radio’s The Conversation, and writer of her Substack, Woman, Warrior, Writer, she showcases brilliant women who are authoring their lives. And for those who have not found their voice, she teaches. You can find her eviscerating, award-winning short stories Swimming In Hong Kong, on her website. And be on the lookout for her upcoming book, Break (excerpted above) where she shares her (surf-laced) divorce story, and teaches women to write their own. You will want to cheer for Steph, yourself, and all women after this episode!

Website: for Steph www.drstephaniehan.com IG
Substack: https://drstephaniehan.substack.com/

Stay up to date with Dropping In To Power Podcast and get a love poem from the ocean https://sheilagallien.substack.com/

Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Link in bio.

05/05/2023

💜🏄‍♀️New Podcast Episode💜🏄‍♀️

found a way to obsess about surfing in any conditions--by obsessing about writing about surfing! A mid-life blooming writer and water woman from South Africa, Melissa’s delicious fiction blends “surf noir” with “environmental romance suspense.” (Check out the addictive Shadow Flicker!) In our pod, we chat about the coastal topography and bathymetry of South Africa’s breaks (get out your pencils) and she indulges my obsession with South African sharks.🦈 (Did you know you can get a gig as a Shark Spotter in Cape Town?) The South African waters are wild and intimidating, and though she grew up learning to paddle on flat water in an estuary, the ocean felt menacing to her well into her 40s. She still considers herself one of the most frightened surfers 🐔 in her lineup, but she has braved sharks, orcas (!!!) and kilometers of open water on paddleboards, SUP’s and longboards. She credits a community group focused on supporting women🤸‍♀️for getting her off the beach and into the lineup. She also finds inspiration, and courage, in books and courses on surfing, the ocean, and, yes, sharks. Recognizing how her own life has transformed from surfing, feeling “older, but stronger, happier, braver, and stoked” she created Saltwater Sisters with her BFF to share their love and stoke and to empower other women to experience the joy they have found themselves. Melisa wraps up with one of my fave pieces of advice so far: “Get to know the ocean, because not every day is your day.”

Mentions:
Shadow Flicker by Melissa Volker
Stoked by Chris Bertish
https://melissaavolker.com/

06/04/2023

💙✨New Episode!✨💙

Lena Siebertz, founder of not only braves near-freezing conditions, but relishes them. In temps as low as 37F/2.7C, Lena is forging a community of feminist surfers in Northern Germany and Denmark to transform surf culture beyond the old competitive paradigm, using cold water as part of the reset. Lena and I bonded over surfing head injuries earlier this year, sharing our progress as our stitches healed and trauma ebbed. We found the true meaning of community! Lena and her surf grrrl gang are creating something truly unique in their gatherings - including systemic coaching, cold water therapy, and even Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Starting surfing as an adult, Lena withstood early pummelings from the surf, her board, and heartless instructors. Her call to the ocean overpowered her fear, and galvanized her to support others in a non-competitive, feminist exploration of surf and community. Fueled by her background as an artist, producer of a techno festival, and generally totally cool chick, Cold Water Sirens is expanding the surf gathering experience and creating something totally fresh and resetting.

Follow

Festival:


Anna's Systemic Coaching
van_lifecoaching



Link in bio

28/03/2023

How do I define success?

🏄‍♀️ 🏄‍♀️ Surfing with my daughter. 🌞 Leash tans.
🌊 Sandy trucks.
🔥 Awesome boards.

How about you?

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

Pc by said daughter

01/03/2023

💜🏄‍♀️New Episode - Jade Chang Sheppard 💜🏄‍♀️

💙 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dropping-in-to-power-personal-stories-of/id1587653292?i=1000602071201

💙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7uNQvaKbvuTNlMm0mF4F5a?si=09d63690d48847e1

“If I didn’t have this fear, what could be better?” Jade Chang Sheppard has made it her mission to inspire women to ask and answer that question. On the surface, she seems to have fear *licked*. She built her own fortune in her 20s, birthed 3 gorgeous kids, had a successful marriage *and* divorce. She redesigned her life during a “mid-life awakening,” to include traveling the world to learn to surf. But it took an ayahuasca journey and surf epiphany to bring Jade to a new threshold, and you will want to follow her off that cliff. Jade’s epiphanies turn into living workshops that she shares with the world! She bought a boutique hotel in Nicaragua (Malibu Popoyo Boutique Resort) and turned it into an all-inclusive surfing heaven. She launched Scarlet Society, a multi-media miracle of phenomenal women speaking truth about s*x, health and money for women over 40 (check out their peri-menopause guide). Jade also muses on non-monogamy (we take a pause in the early part of the podcast, but don’t worry, we come back to it!) s*xual experimentation, power, and freedom. For a surfalogue, she coversthe Maldives, Chicama, Kelly’s Wave Pool, Bali, Nicaragua, Costa Rica—girlfriend gets things done! One of the best things we get to hear from this accomplished, striving, powerful, self-realized woman, especially for those bad days: surfing is the hardest thing in the world to do. Get it, Jade!

📌Check out www.scarletsociety.com for inspo.
📌Promise, you will want to stay at: www.malibupopoyo.com
📌This is the article Jade mentions by Dr. Stephanie Han (surfer and future pod guest): https://scarletsociety.com/why-do-so-many-women-in-this-country-fear-divorce/
📌BTW, I recommend reading everything you can find by the brilliant Dr. Han, especially her book of short stories https://drstephaniehan.com/swimming-in-hong-kong/



🏄‍♀️💜Sign up for the podcast newsletter at https://droppinginpodcast.substack.com?sd=pf

Jade Chang Sheppard Scarlet Society Malibu Popoyo Boutique Resort

28/02/2023

https://droppinginpodcast.substack.com?sd=pf

Hi friends! If you'd like to know when the next podcast is coming, and learn more about the amazing women on air, sign up for the newsletter below. 🏄‍♀️🌊🏄‍♀️

Newsletter for Dropping In To Power Podcast: Personal stories of the transformational power of surfing from women of all levels, all ages, all over. This page includes links to the podcast, notes, and links to transcripts. Click to read Dropping In To Power Podcast Newsletter, by Sheila Gallien, a S...

28/02/2023

Hi All! If you want to be kept in the loop about podcast episodes, come on down and click the link below!

A New Way to Stay In Touch

16/02/2023

All better now after the slice and dice experience! May be just a little ptsd so I am surfing tiny empty waves. So lucky, so pumped, so happy to be back in the saltwater, my love, with my Phantom. I am sure if I keep surfing it will surf just like (photo not available).

Thanks for the pcs 💙💙💙

04/02/2023

So exciting! Thank you to all who are listening and sharing!

02/02/2023

💙New Episode!💙

Lifeguard Jessie Kilgour

Are you a tasty treat for a shark during your period? Finally an answer to the question that plagues every woman surfer, at least once a month! Lifeguard Jessie Kilgour has a pretty strong take on the subject, but you’ll have to get to the end to find out. You’ll want to, though, as Jessie brings a fresh take on everything from where she surfs, to what she surfs, and how she lives her life around the water. Anchored in the Outer Banks, manager of megalodon Real Watersports school operation, Jessie speaks kitesurfing, windsurfing, foiling, water safety, and soul surfing. Her dedication and general good juju scored her a gig in “the dream she didn’t know she had,” as one of few women to serve as a surf guide at fabled Tavarua. Oh, and being mistaken for Paige Alms. We talk story about kite surfing, getting tangled and getting free, the challenges of foiling, surfing the Outer Banks, and, of course, what it was like to keep people safe while surfing, hello, Cloudbreak! We deep dive into specific surfer chick stuff too. On the lighter side: how do you manage tampon shortages on remote island surf trips? On the heavier: the pressures of whether to have kids in the upper 30s, and how a woman’s life and passions are impacted by whatever choices she makes. Jessie is a soft-spoken warrior. She says a lot in the spaces between, like underplaying a back injury she manages on a daily basis, which only amplifies how committed she is as an athlete, a teacher and a water woman. And then, she tells you the truth about sharks.
ek

29/01/2023

She's changing the game!

Moana jones Wong taking off on the best wave ever ridden by woman at pipeline!

https://youtu.be/ANW3TvskGd0

Click the link to watch the full video!

25/01/2023

20/01/2023

A little bonus episode...

What a start to Season 2! I had a serious surf accident last week with a major head trauma - so I thought, why not do a mini-podcast with a concussion!? This is a little "bonus episode" of me sharing the blow-by-blow of what happened, and the epip...

15/01/2023

Surf injury journey so far ❤️‍🩹🌊💫Don’t look at picture 4 if you’re squeamish!

I have had a lot of lovely people reaching out to check on me so wanted to put up a post, not just a story.

So Thursday afternoon I was in a bad accident at Lyman’s. It was a fluke-no one at fault- but I tried to duck dive under a longboard when we were clearly on a collision course. I have done this successfully under shortboards, but, while I cleared the board, I did not clear the fin. It sliced my head literally to my skull and a length of 6-8” and scraped a line down my back.

I was blown away by all those who responded and helped. People surrounded me, took my board, called 911, sacrificed their towels, kept pressure on a scary wound without passing out, lied to me about how bad it was to keep me calm, secured my car and belongings, got me into an ambulance and to safety. Then even tracked me down at the hospital to check on me, and checked again today. I don’t have everyone’s names and/or Ig tags. There was Jules, Leilani andJames, but there were more. I can never thank them enough for helping to save my life, and being generally beautiful and bad ass. In a more remote place, and without such quick thinking and knowledgeable people, it could have been very different.

I also thank the ocean, and Kanaloa, for sending me a wave that brought me right to the shore while I was dramatically bleeding. The paramedics that kept me calm, safe and medicated. And the staff of nurses and doctors that did it right. From the Er doctor’s perspective, it was just “skin repair,” which he was thankfully brilliant at. But, being unfamiliar with the ocean, and the break, he could not have realized all the things that could have gone wrong that would have made “skin repair” a moot point.

I am still a bit shaky and, thankfully, medicated. Hope that my next photo will be a surf one!

Much love to all!

21/11/2022

🏄‍♀️💜New Episode💜🏄‍♀️

Junko Yamasaki went on holiday to Australia from her native Japan at 20 years old, and never looked back. Breaking away from her culture’s traditional expectations, she trailblazed a life fueled by curiosity, compassion and courage. Over her 52 years, she has embodied many aspects of both personal and professional womanhood - daughter, sister, wife, step-mother, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, aunty, friend, migrant, client, translator, cat’s mum, counselor, and transformational coach. At 49 1/2, she paddled through her lifelong fear of the ocean, including the trauma of near drowning, and, not even knowing how to swim, took up surfing, which she credits for teaching her how to truly take responsibility for her own life. Through surfing, she navigated long Covid, menopause, and marital challenges with grace and humor. Junko brings such wisdom and joy to her practice of surfing! She also shares some meditation ninja tricks that help keep her grateful in the surf. Listen to Junko on Apple, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts. Search Dropping In To Power

14/11/2022

🏄‍♀️💛 I'm honored and thrilled to have been interviewed along with Curvy Surfer Girl, Elizabeth Sneed on Hawaii Public Radio's The Conversation! Stephanie Han interviewed us on a segment about empowering women through surfing. Woot woot! One of my big passions!💛🏄‍♀️

It airs tomorrow, Monday, November 14th at 11AM HST, and will be available online after.

Fans of Dropping In to Power Podcast may remember Elizabeth's honest and uplifting podcast earlier this year.

Whether you live in our state or far from our shores, you’ll know what’s happening in Hawaiʻi with HPR's daily hour of locally focused discussions of public affairs, ideas, culture and the arts. Guests from across the islands and around the world provide perspectives on life in Hawaiʻi — and...

17/10/2022

365 Days of Waves - Day 65

Miles and miles I travel, hundreds or even thousands, across the changeling blues, to touch the rocks, the trees, the aching sun-drenched sand, you. Believe me, I understand longing. 

15/10/2022

365 Days of Waves - Day 64

Slip slide tumble fly dive breathe rise fall burst open wide open smile smile smile smile.

13/10/2022

365 Days of Waves - Day 62

I am every color of every moment, liquid velvet, sunshine swallowed, sweet surrender, heartache slaked, all your tears, and all your love.

12/10/2022

365 Days of Waves - Day 61

It is a long way to me, across molten rock, heels jagged, hot skin murmuring prayers, thirsting to be reborn. So, sink, sweet soul, into the cool clear water, to be baptized by both fire and sea.

11/10/2022

365 Days of Waves - Day 60

Peaky, sneaky, shadow and shimmer, I shapeshift for you. It’s naughty, I know.