Growing up in New York City my skateboard was my favorite possession. I learned to skateboard at the age of four and my skateboard provided transportation, exercise and connection with friends. During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s skate culture as a thing in New York City. My love of skateboarding piqued my interest in surfing at a young age. Growing up in the concrete jungle made me dream of the surfer lifestyle. I read about it in magazines and was fortunate enough to spend my childhood summers at the beach on Long Island. Instead of the grass being greener, for me the ocean was bluer and was a draw. I boogie boarded as a kid.
At the age of ten, my parents took me to the New York City boat show which took place at the New York colloseum which used to be at Columbus Circle and has since moved to the Javits Center. At one of the booths at the boat show stood a 6’0 Thruster surfboard on display. More intrigued with the surfboard than the boats, I asked if it was for sale. While there as a prop, they were willing to sell it to my dad. The surfboard did not fit in a taxi to get it home. I still recall going home with my mom and brother as my dad trekked across NYC with my new surfboard under his arm. The boat show was in January. The surfboard sat in my NYC apartment bedroom for the next several months with me starring at it in anticipation of summer and getting the opportunity to use it. That was the first of maybe 15+ surfboards I have owned and when I was done with it, I sold it to a friend as his first surfboard as well.
Surfing during my youthful summers in the Hamptons was amazing. We had a great group of friends who would wake up early to surf dawn patrol sessions, we found uncrowded breaks only assessable via boat and we met people from all walks of life. There were the townies who lived there year round, the construction worker types, the old guys on logs (longboards), the groms who were younger than us and the occasional girls in the water. Today there are tons of girls who surf. Regardless of who was in the water, there was always a positive vibe.
Surfing West Hampton Beach, 1988
While in high school I got to surf in Florida on several family vacations in Barbados and other travel locations. Surfing opened me to new places and new people. It was in my blood and would continue to be an important part of my life.
As it was time to apply to colleges, my desire was to go to Pepperdine in California, but my parents were not in favor of California for fear that I would become a surf bum and not finish school. I compromised with them by attending Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. The west coast of Florida does get surfable waves, but very seldom. I became an avid windsurfer in college and sailed competitively on the sailing team. That love for surfing translated into a love for all watersports.
I met my wife on the sailing team. We shared a common love to sailing, watersports and travel. Those shared passions have taken us around the world to many amazing places to explore beaches, surfing, sailing and new cultures.
My career in corporations put a damper on the frequency of my ability to surf, but it has afforded me the means to surf better breaks and to see more of the world. As I progressed through my corporate career my love for surfing never dimmed. I had a desire to integrate my love for surfing into the work I was doing. After 20+ years working in corporations, I decided to take the plunge and start my own consulting firm in 2014. Groove Management was a company I had started while in graduate school in 2001, but it was really just a concept that sat dormant until 2014 when I committed myself to it full time. Over the next few years I built a successful human capital consulting business driven by my mission of helping individuals and teams maximize their performance by focusing on their strengths. I refer to this pursuit as finding ones “Groove”.
As the business grew and evolved I continued to think about my surfing hobby and the relevance of surfing to coaching and developing leaders. In 2016 while catching up with my friend and former colleague, Lee Burbage who is the Chief People Officer at the Motley Fool, Lee said something very significant to me. He said my love for the ocean, surfing and watersports has guided most of my most important life decisions. My choice of colleges was driven by my desire to be near the water. My wife and I met on the sailing team, our vacations have always been planned around surfing, sailing, windsurfing and other water pursuits. Lee encouraged me to find the intersection between my passion and my profession.
Ultimately this led me to create and launch LeaderSurf, leadership done differently. Exposing business leaders to surfing, the physical aspects, the metaphor and the mental game became a great tool for helping executives increase their self-awareness and leadership capability.
While starting LeaderSurf enabled me to incorporate surfing into my professional job, there was an even more enriching byproduct for me. I got to meet and interface with amazing people. I had never consider this angle when starting the program, but it has been one of the most rewarding aspects of running LeaderSurf. The program participants have been amazing. Many have referred to their week at LeaderSurf as life altering. That brings me much joy to hear. Setting up and leading the program took lots or work and important partnerships. There are several amazing people I have befriended along the way. Below is a sampling of some of those people.
Donald Stone- Professional Surf Photographer and Guide
Donald has been a good friend and partner since the first LeaderSurf program in 2017. He grew up in North Carolina and has been living in Nicaragua for the past 20+ years. Donald was introduced to me on my first visit to Nicaragua. He is an amazing photographer whose work has been featured in surfing and travel magazines and campaigns. He is an incredibly knowledgeable surfer and for a guy in his 60s he surfs better than most 20 year-olds. Donald has brought great insights to the LeaderSurf program participants and has taken on a larger role in helping to coordinate program components. He travels to Costa Rica for programs and has been an awesome partner to me as the program has evolved.
Ryan Hartley- Heart-Centered Leadership Coach
Social media has an amazing power for connecting people. As the LeaderSurf program launched, I leveraged Instagram and Facebook to promote the program. I received a message from Ryan who was working for the UK Police Force full time while launching his Always Better Than Yesterday Podcast and business. He was super intrigued by the LeaderSurf program. A video call turned into a friendship and multiple appearances on his podcast. Ryan has built an amazing business helping people to be heart-centered leaders and by teaching people to lean into authenticity and empathy. While we have never met in person, we have a strong friendship and encourage each other in our pursuits. Had it not been for surfing, we would never have connected.
Shaun Tomson- World Champion Surfer, Speaker and Author
Several years ago I became actively involved in The Surfrider Foundation. I became a board member for the Charlotte, NC chapter which is the largest inland chapter. As part of my role, I attended their Capital Hill day in Washington, DC. While not present at the event, Shaun has been a national chapter board member and was famously featured in a Surfrider ad campaign. He has turned his surfing success into a business conducting corporate workshops. He has written three books and shares the life lessons surfing has taught him. I reached out to him and we chatted at length. Those chats turned into a corporate collaboration for a client and a friendship. Shaun has proven the power of surfing as an amazing metaphor for life and business. I feel fortunate to call one of the best surfers of all time my friend.
Claude Silver- Chief Heart Officer, VaynerMedia
I have been a fan of Gary Vaynerchuk for several years. When I heard that his head of HR used to be a surf instructor, I had to meet her. During the pandemic, I was unable to run the LeaderSurf program but was interested in doing more to link surfing and leadership. I decided that it would be cool to host a panel discussion about surfing and leadership. I reached out to Claude, had an awesome discussion with her and she welcomed the opportunity to join the panel discussion. Claude is not your traditional head of HR, she doubles down on the human side. She leads with her heart and celebrates her employees daily. She is an inspiration and her love for surfing is an added bonus. Our mutual love for surfing and developing people brough us together.
Erik Logan- Former CEO, World Surf League
A number of years ago I read an article about how the President of OWN (Oprah Winfrey Networks) had picked up surfing in his 40s and was hooked on the sport. After some navigation I was able to track down Elo as his friend call him. We had a great video chat about his new found love and how it was making him a better leader. Fast forward a few years later and it was announced that Elo would be leaving OWN to lead the media division for the World Surf League (WSL). Within less than a year of joining the WSL, Erik was promoted to CEO. He brought his media savvy to the sport and drove some cool innovation such as the use of Apple Watches to provide the surfers real time data during their competition heats. Erik and I reconnected and he was a gracious guest in the Surfing and Leadership panel discussion. I continue to stay connected and follow his journey turning his love for surfing into his full time job, merging his media world with the world of sports. So cool!
Jack Hanney- CEO, Patriot Gold Group
Thirty years ago as a freshmen in high school I met this kid from Bronxville, NY named John Hanney. He was cool, but maybe too much of a troublemaker. We had our fun, but John transferred after a year. Almost forty years later Facebook reconnected us. Rebranded as Jack, he has turned into a very successful business leader and one of the most positive people I know. Jack attended a LeaderSurf program which both gave us a chance to reconnect in person and an opportunity for him to share his life’s journey. Since that time we have become closer friends and have connected our two families. The ocean reconnected a childhood friend and for that I am very grateful.
Natalia Cohen- Keynote Speaker, Adventurer and Inspirer of Others
The ocean connects. Ryan Hartley mentioned above introduced me to another UK based executive coach who in turn told me about this amazing woman, Natalia Cohen. A scheduled 15 minute Zoom call with her turned into a 1.5 hour chat that was so intriguing, we had to find a way to work together. Natalia was part of a crew that rowed a 29 foot rowboat across the Pacific Ocean. While that feat is amazing, what is even more impressive is that Natalia had never rowed before. She is a true adventurer who has traveled the world and is always up for a new challenge. Her wisdom and positivity is inspirational. We have been working together for the past three plus years leading inspirational workshops for corporate clients that leverage her life story and my ability to bring out the best in teams. Our workshop, Navigating Your Team’s Course For Success has been a game changer for several organizations. Natalia has become a close family friend and another example of how this surfing and ocean related life journey has brought amazing people into my life.
Jeff Grosshandler- Owner, The Gilded Iguana Surf Hotel
While exploring locations to host the LeaderSurf program, I stumbled upon the Gilded Iguana Surf hotel in Nosara, Costa Rica. Through a quick Facebook and LinkedIn search I figured out who owned this cool and recently renovated hotel. That led me to Jeff and a meeting in his office at the resort. We hit it off immediately and he was excited to partner up on hosting the LeaderSurf program at his resort. Jeff is an interesting guy who was a Wall Street trader and quant. After a visit to Costa Rica, he decided to quit Wall Street and move his family to Costa Rica. Jeff has played an important role in the community in Nosara. He is a real estate developer with a sustainability agenda. The Gilded Iguana is an amazing property that caters to surfers and those we appreciate a boutique hotel with great amenities. Through my numerous visits to Nosara hosting LeaderSurf programs, I have gotten to know Jeff and his family. He is a savvy business person and a very insightful guy.
Gilles Rusca- Former GM Buena Onda Beach Resort
When I first began concepting the LeaderSurf program, I took my family to Nicaragua to source a location for the program and to pilot portions of the program. I found the Buena Onda Surf Hotel on Trip Advisor and made contact with Gilles. He was extremely helpful as I planned my first visit. Upon arrival I met Gilles and Aurele his partner. They were amazing hosts and helped line up surf instructors, excursions, partnerships for the LeaderServe humanitarian aid project and many of the other important details. Over several programs and visits Gilles became a good friend. He even visited me in Charlotte, NC. He is now a full stack web developer and he is working on other projects. He has a big heart, an amazing work ethic and attention to detail. He and Aurelie made each program in Nicaragua a big success. I have enjoyed following his journey and having him as a friend.
My Reflections
Building the LeaderSurf business has been one of my most challenging undertakings. I learned a ton about myself, about resilience, about perseverance and most importantly about the power of personal connection. The program could never have become a reality without the aid, assistance and support of numerous people. The one person not mentioned above that was most instrumental is my wife Brita. She is one of the best business leaders that I know. Her critical eye, strategic mindset and her strong support for me following my passion played a critical role in the development of this program.
While Covid and other work commitments with my other company Groove Management suspended LeaderSurf, it is my intention to continue the journey in hopes that I can positively impact more leader’s lives by exposing them to this unique form of experiential learning. While surfing is a sport and a hobby, for many it becomes a way of life. It is the culture and the people that are what makes surfing so attractive to me.
