521 - Nainoa Speier: Part Two

In today’s episode Jordan Rodin joins us to chat about life lessons and hazing gleaned from Derek Hynd, make a case for heavier surfboards, explain his 5 year hiatus from getting barreled, why you should be stripping down used boards and reshaping them, what famous sculptors of centuries past can teach us about surfing, why sometimes the smallest movements can translate to the biggest things. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s show actor John Philbin recounts his life as an escape artist, shares dangers of achieving one’s life goals, the false paradigm of self-confidence, why he is not a good actor, how to reform a bitter and angry disposition, and why he doesn’t trust anyone who isn’t a hypocrite. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s show Kyle Thiermann shares the near death experience that altered his life’s perspective, explains the creative fertility nested in boredom, shares how his relationship with psychedelics has changed after nearly a decade of experimentation, reflects on the moment he learned you don’t need to master your hobbies, and discusses his desire to maintain strong relationships with his parents despite developing radically different ideologies and how that inspired his first book, “One Last Question Before You Go: Why You Should Interview Your Parent’s”. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s show Vissla CEO Paul Naude joins us to discuss how the consolidation of major surf brands is affecting surf culture, how the licensing operational model can threaten retailer’s long term viability, why now is a fertile opportunity for growth for independent brands and retail, and why the consumer wields influence through the power of their purchasing. Recorded live at the SIMA SUPER SUMMIT at the Rivian Theatre on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s show early Peruvian shaping pioneer Rodolfo Klima joins us to discuss Peru as the inception place of surfing and it’s integral role in early surf competitions, learning how to shape by instinct alone, Gordon Clark's unknown factory in Peru, the challenge of building a business in an unstable economy and democracy, why Peru may generate the next disruptive crop of pros, and his opportunity to compete in the Icons of Foam shaping competition. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s show South African pro surfer turned shaper Barry Vandermeulen joins to share stories of early life in the remote but influential Bay of Plenty, his tutelage from Spider to Spyder, Matt Biolos’s springboard into his eponymous label, how to run a business without a website, why he doesn’t put his name on his surfboards, and his opportunity to compete in the Icons of Foam shaping competition. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s show Thomas Campbell unpacks the 10 year process of making YI-WO, analyzes the value and the cost of asking an audience to be present, shares the experience in Morocco wherein he was dead broke that spring-boarded his painting career, explains how a short skate film for Supreme led him to surf filmmaking, and grapples with the challenge of showcasing the depth of the surf experience through film. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s show North Shore icon Eric Arakawa shares insights from 51 years of surfboard shaping, explains the invention of the Nose Guard, why it’s essential to use money and love people but most people do the opposite, how to leverage burnout to fuel inspiration, recounts the chance encounter with one enigmatic shaper that changed both their lives, and explains the succession plan for Arakawa Surfboards that will allow him to utilize the next decade to invest in people. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode Makua Rothman discusses surfing Waimea at age 8, his maternal lineage to King Kamehameha, songwriting as a catharsis to process childhood trauma, how his World Title count was limited by his addition, the freedom in relinquishing the weight of expectation, and how society’s modern embrace of vulnerability can open pathways of communication with old-school parents. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode early surf icon Joey Cabell talks through transitioning from solid redwood boards (which he purchased from his shoeshine earnings) through Balsa to being the first Polyurethane foam board tester for Clark & Hobie, he share stories of being on the Duke Kahanamoku Surf Team, training for winter Hanalei by swimming the Nā Pali coast with Mike Doyle, winning the Duke and Peru International multiple times, founding The Chart House in Aspen in 1962, setting a record sailing from Hawaii to Papeete, the near-death mishap for Mickey Munoz on the return voyage, and so much more. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices