WHEN YOU WERE A KID WHAT DID YOU WANT TO “BE” WHEN YOU GREW UP?

I learned to kayak when I was six years old and immediately had the dream of being a professional kayaker. 30 years later, the dream still hasn’t changed.

Did you do the “standard” school route? Or did you take more of an unconventional approach to education? Elaborate if needed?

I began taking the traditional school approach, a kid doesn’t have a lot of say in the matter, but when I ran into someone paddling on the local river who told of a traveling kayaking highschool, it seemed too good to be true. My father, with my mother’s permission, did the most amazing thing and sent me to this school for two years. Money was tight, but he somehow made it work. For my senior year of highschool, not wanting to make my dad pay for another year, I enrolled in correspondence courses, worked for a summer laying hardwood floors, and bought a plane ticket to Uganda, Africa with a goal of finishing highschool while paddling the White Nile, one of the most iconic rivers on Earth. My plan somehow just barely worked out and six months later I returned home without a penny to my name but a good enough story to earn me a highschool diploma. 

-How did you get started doing what you do as a professional athlete for Team KAVU?

-Can you elaborate a bit on your journey of becoming a pro athlete. Where did it all begin? Do you have a core memory of a moment or time when you were like “yes”…this is the thing I love to do and I want to do it all the time? Was there a particular person in your life that played a role in helping you along your journey of becoming a pro athlete/ on team KAVU?

Basically, can you give me a little background on your journey of how you got to this point in your life of being a pro athlete/ ambassador for KAVU? 

My father was the greatest influence in my life and my desire to become a professional paddler. I started paddling at the age of six and by the time I was a teenager I was paddling on a pretty high level. One of my mentors at the time, Seth Warren, was a professional paddler, KAVU athlete, and landed me a segment in one of the biggest kayaking films of the year, NURPU. From there I was invited to film for their next film Valhalla in Norway in Iceland. I put my first KAVU sticker on my boat when I was 15 years old, next to a river in Norway, and never looked back. Since then KAVU has been more than just a sponsor for me, the KAVU philosophy has anchored my life in a big way and the friendships I have with the founders and employees are some of the most meaningful of my life. I can say without a doubt, I would not be where I am without the belief (and beliefs) of Barry Barr. 

What are you most passionate about? Like if you finished checking off all the things on your “responsibilities” list and you had a day fully free and open to do anything you wanted, what would you do with that free time?

Well at this point, I think I checked that list off, or at least crossed out the rest of it! Life is meant to be lived fully, as joyfully, happily, and kindly as possible while sharing love and gratitude for life with those around us. I spent a few years trying to catch up on ‘responsibilities’ and create some sort of financial success. What I learned was that doing serious things all the time makes life pretty serious. That if we attach ourselves to things, or expect things to go a certain way, suffering will result. To live positively we need to react positively to what occurs in life, to live lightly, and understand that being happy and peaceful comes from our own nature, not because something worked out or happened to us. As for the day. I’d be disconnected, away from my phone, in nature, either by myself or with people I love. Likely kayaking, or better yet, multi day kayaking (camping out of my boat) and spending time on the river. 

What is your favorite thing to do that is not related to the sports things you get paid to do as an athlete?

I would do the sports I do regardless of being paid, it’s truly a big part of what makes me happy. Aside from that, sharing some laughs with friends, maybe complimented by being in an amazing place by the water. 

How many years have you been a KAVU athlete? Do you have a favorite memory/ trip over the years of being on Team KAVU?

I’ve been a KAVU athlete for 22 years. My favorite memory might be floating out of the Grand Canyon at night with Barry. 

Have you ever had any close calls/ injuries/ near death experiences in your sport/ craft? What did you learn/ take away from this moment? 

I have had a couple close calls over the years, and my takeaways are that it’s important to calculate risk well, and leave a good margin for error. Sports are incredibly fun if practiced well and incredibly dangerous if practiced poorly. Know yourself, know your limits, and keep it between the mayo and mustard out there! 

What do you feel is your most important resource in life and why is it the most important resource to you?

Time is our most precious resource. It’s invaluable on every level and every moment is precious. It’s important to understand your mortality, that we’re not going to be here for long, and to celebrate life and how lucky we are to exist as humans on this planet. Next comes health, to live as fully with as long of a health span as possible, it starts from building a good foundation of health and wellness. Friends, family and community are incredibly important and actually add so much to our physical health. It turns out, having fun and enjoying life are also one of the main pillars of health and longevity!  

What is a piece of wisdom you would give to a graduating high school class?

Work to live, don't live to work. When it comes to trading time for money, be smart about it! The best things in life you don’t buy with money so enjoy yourself, live frugally, and save the money you make in a mutual fund that follows the stock market. If you’re young and can learn to save, you’ll buy yourself a lot of freedom and life down the road. 

What Book are you reading right now?

I read multiple books at a time. These are the ones I’m currently reading: 

How to be an Adult by David Richo 

Breath by James Nestor 

Amazon Woman by Darcy Gaechter 

Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier 

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Have you learned/ started anything new recently?

I spent some of the last five years of my life trying the ‘real job’ thing. What I learned is something I figured out when I was young. Take the risk of doing exactly what you love to do. You can play it safe, try and create a stable income source (real job) doing something you don’t love and it has as good of, if not a better chance of not working out. Follow your passions; all in, all the way.