Inside Bethany Hamilton’s Life: Modesty, Motherhood, and The Diet That Fuels a Champion

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark

Episode: Inside Bethany Hamilton’s Life: Modesty, Motherhood, and The Diet That Fuels a Champion
Guest: Bethany Hamilton
Release Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Alex Clark, Turning Point USA

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Alex Clark welcomes pro surfer, author, and mother Bethany Hamilton for an in-depth conversation about living out her faith and convictions in the world of professional sports and motherhood. They explore topics including modesty as a Christian athlete, raising children through homeschooling, standing up in controversial cultural moments, the pro-metabolic diet, and Bethany’s holistic approach to health, fitness, and faith. Bethany shares her journey from overcoming trauma to becoming a voice in women’s sports and a role model for intentional parenting.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Modesty, Media, and Culture [02:03–06:14]

• Modesty as a Pro Surfer:

  • Bethany reflects on criticisms regarding modesty and her image as a Christian athlete:

    "I try to be more covered. I also like sunbathing and getting sun on my body... I'm raising two young boys and the porn culture is so aggressive..." — Bethany Hamilton [02:21]

  • She emphasizes the hyper-sexualization of young girls and navigating this as a mentor and mother.
  • Surf culture in Hawaii is more revealing compared to other areas; she aims to set a balance especially now as a mother with a daughter.

• Modesty and Social Media:

  • Bethany discusses measuring her choices due to her visibility online and in different global cultures.

2. Taking a Stand: Advocacy and Women’s Sports [06:14–14:53]

• Speaking Out on Transgender Policy in Surfing:

  • Bethany describes her opposition to the World Surf League (WSL) allowing transgender women to compete:

    "I was like, hey, I can't promote this to little girls. Like, I just can't. We're not going there. I can't stand for this. I'm out." — Bethany Hamilton [08:06]

  • Details the pressure to sign silencing contracts, the lack of support for speaking out, and her decision to part ways with her sponsor Rip Curl after ~25-year relationship.

• Cultural Risk & Silence in Sports:

  • She critiques the contract-enforced silence in the industry and the lack of male and even Christian allyship:

    "Where's the men? Where's the fathers? Where's the guys who are supposed to be protecting the girls?" — Bethany Hamilton [14:44]

  • Attributes silence to fear rather than wisdom, saying,

  "I do think that cowardice is such a big thing in our culture now, and it's... degrading the strength of the family..." [15:05]

3. Motherhood, Health, and the Pro-Metabolic Diet [21:47–33:38]

• Early Health Mindset & Learning Curve:

  • Bethany started a "no hydrogenated oil club" at 16 and engaged in health self-experimentation.
  • She cautions not to take health tips from athletes wholesale, since many may have depleted or imbalanced lifestyles:

    "A lot of athletes make a lot of mistakes. They're super depleted, they under eat... don't get your health advice from athletes." [23:06]

  • Describes hitting a wall after her second baby due to under-eating and overtraining while breastfeeding.

• Dietary Shift to Pro-Metabolic:

  • Transitioned to a high-protein, high-carb, mineral-focused diet with raw dairy, bone broth, bee pollen, magnesium, and healthy snacks—even ice cream before bed due to high caloric needs.

    "I probably doubled my calorie intake... my energy is better than ever. Now I have four children and I'm like ready to charge the day." [26:43]

4. Athleticism Through Pregnancy & Postpartum [28:06–43:42]

• Surfing While Pregnant:
  • Bethany typically surfs up until 7 months pregnant, crediting exercise consistency and listening to her body.
  • Lessons from her own mother’s health shaped her commitment:

    "Before I had my first child, I was like, you know, I'm going to take care of myself because I want to surf with my children." [30:32]

• Postpartum Recovery:
  • Emphasizes rest and self-love over rushing back, learning to balance ambition with proper recovery:

    “With my first two, I feel like I was really hard on myself... with my fourth baby I was the least pressured. I was in the most restful season...” [42:05]

• Functional Patterns Training:
  • Utilizes holistic exercise routines (functional patterns, walking, surfing) and focuses less on intense post-baby ‘bounce back.’

5. Family Wellness & Homeschooling [53:36–66:24]

• Faith & Parenting:

  • Bethany’s faith deepened after trauma, moving from a non-denominational to a more liturgical Lutheran tradition. Her family practices daily readings, prayer, and faith-centric living.

    "My faith is not rooted in my emotions or in the challenges of life, but it's rooted in God and His Word and His promises." [56:21]

• Choosing Homeschool:

  • Prioritizes sheltering her kids from negative influences and unhealthy socialization, emphasizing the importance of faith and family as primary influences:

    "In the young years, our children need to be raised by mom and dad and nobody else..." [58:20]

• Practical Homeschooling Tips:

  • Individualizes learning pace, practices “delayed learning,” and focuses on reading aloud for building comprehension and vocabulary.

6. Fueling a Champion—Food, Recovery, and Wellness Habits [43:42–53:28]

• Nutrition:

  • Focuses on raw dairy from her brother’s farm, red meat, and hydration.
  • Encourages listeners to build health gradually and not to be overwhelmed:

    “Just slowly stacking in new habits and eventually the habits just feel natural and you just do it and it just happens.” [51:58]

• Recovery:

  • Struggles with sleep, discovered children (and herself) have airway issues; finds bedtime snacks aid sleep during high output/lactation periods.
  • Health ‘stacking’ as a time-saving tip: combining sauna, red light therapy, Gua Sha, Bible reading.

7. Living Faith Out Loud & Impact [66:24–74:04]

• Legacy & Reflection:

  • Bethany aspires to be remembered for hope and perseverance:

    "I just really do love that my story is a story of determination and hope and perseverance and pushing through pain." [66:29]

• Advice to Teenage Self:

  "The Lord's going to provide everything that you need and to just lean on me no matter how hard it gets." [67:37]

• Encouraging the Next Generation:

  • Wants to inspire girls to look forward to motherhood and to find joy in family rather than fear or cultural negativity.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I want to raise really healthy children. Like, if there's two things I give them, it's health and faith.” — Bethany Hamilton [00:08, 27:25]
• “It's very normal here for girls to surf in thongs... and then when I go to the Midwest, I'm like, whoa, I'm not very modest.” — Bethany Hamilton [02:21]
• “I kind of saw through the propaganda very early on.” — Bethany Hamilton on Covid health policies and vaccinations [00:00, 06:14]
• “If you could offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, what would it be? — Oh, Jesus Christ, for sure. And his grace... that's what can heal a sick world.” — Closing Q&A [73:48]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Modesty and Culture in Female Surfing: [02:03–06:14]
• Speaking Out on Women’s Sports and Sponsor Conflict: [06:14–14:53]
• Pro-Metabolic Diet & Health Revelation Postpartum: [21:47–33:38]
• Exercise through Pregnancy and Recovery: [28:06–43:42]
• Homeschooling, Faith, and Family Values: [53:36–66:24]
• Legacy, Faith, and Healing Culture: [66:24–74:04]

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Tone & Style

Authentic, faith-driven, candid, and at times direct, both Alex Clark and Bethany Hamilton speak openly about controversial and personal topics. The conversation is rooted in conviction but offers empathy and encouragement, particularly towards mothers and young women.

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers inspiration and practical wisdom for listeners interested in faith-centered living, intentional parenting, holistic wellness, and female athleticism. Bethany Hamilton shines as both a resilient athlete and a thoughtful culture-shaper, championing health, faith, and the courage to stand for one’s convictions.

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Transcript

[Bethany Hamilton]

I kind of saw through the propaganda very early on.

[Alex Clark]

Do you let your babies drink raw milk?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yes.

[Alex Clark]

That's controversial.

[Bethany Hamilton]

We talked about taking ownership of our health, and I think women really need to take ownership of our health. Stop making the excuses. I want to raise really healthy children. Like, if there's two things I give them, it's health and faith. Foreign.

[Alex Clark]

She's one of the most fearless athletes on the planet, but today we're talking about what courage looks like off the waves. Bethany Hamilton is a pro surfer, author and mom who's turned unimaginable challenge into purpose. In this conversation, we go beyond her comeback story to talk about parenting with intention, raising grounded kids through homeschooling, staying strong in body and faith, and why she's speaking up about fairness in women's sports, especially surfing. It's real, it's thoughtful, and it's everything that you'd expect from someone who's built her life on resilience and conviction. She's a brand new podcast that she interviewed me on, so go listen to that one. Her show is called the All Things Possible podcast with Bethany Hamilton. You can listen to that anywhere you get your podcasts. By the way, I made a vlog of this Hawaii trip and Bethany teaching me to surf and me meeting Gavin from the suburb. I turn pretty. It's all on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel. You can watch that episode and this episode on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel. Big Shout out to Jevy, our sponsor of the show. And don't forget to leave a five star review for Bethany and I because I was so scared to go surfing. Okay. And I deserve a five star review for that. Please welcome professional surfer, motivational speaker, mother, wife and author Bethany Hamilton to culture Apothecary. Okay. I want to start with something really juicy out of the gate.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh, no.

[Alex Clark]

Okay. When people come at you and you get comments about modesty, as a Christian pro surfer, what is your response?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh, my gosh. I haven't even really noticed that.

[Alex Clark]

Oh, well, that's good. So people just kind of are like, you think accepting, Like, I'm going to be in bathing suits. I literally surf for a living.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I think about this a lot and I honestly don't think I'm that modest. But I try to be more covered. And I also like sunbathing and getting sun on my body. But I also, now I'm raising two young boys and the porn culture is so aggressive and there's just so much sexuality in our culture that I'm like, I don't want to be a part of that. And then I've also had mentorship programs with teenage girls. And I'm just seeing how young these girls are, getting sexualized. So young. And they literally have no clue what they're engaging in and the way they're attracting the male eye. And while I'm not blaming them for the man's lack of, you know, self control, so to say, I just think it is a pain point in our culture. But I'm also, like, I've grown up in a swimsuit and, like, I actually am 100% more modest than most of my peers. Like, where, where I live, like, people surfing thongs, like, they literally wear almost nothing. And it's very normalized here. And so. But then when I go to the Midwest and I have my swimsuit, I'm like, whoa. I'm like, not very modest.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, it's funny that people, you know, used to be very like, I have to be bikini bod ready, you know, I cannot possibly wear a swimsuit. I cannot wear a crop top or any of these things, you know, if I don't look a certain way. Now, it's like, absolutely no shame. Like, nobody cares. We're wearing anything we want, no matter what we look like. Nothing. Like. Yeah. I mean, so I don't know, I just think that that's interesting. Like, I think that there is. I see what you're saying, and I think there's something to be said to like, there's just different cultures. Obviously you're going to see more skin living somewhere like Hawaii.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh my gosh. Where we live, it's like, like, literally people are wearing like, strings. Like, that is very normal. And even now, though, like, now having a daughter, I'm like, what do I want her to see mom looking like, like, this goes through my mind a lot right now. She's young. She doesn't know really what's going on, you know, But I'm like, how do I want her dressed? What do I want her to look like? I sometimes feel a little uncomfortable when I'm around a 13 year old in a thong. That makes me really, like, feel like our parents.

[Alex Clark]

Are you seeing parents normal out here?

[Bethany Hamilton]

That is very normal.

[Alex Clark]

Wow.

[Bethany Hamilton]

But then it's like, there's such extremes in modesty around the world, and I'm very well traveled, so I've seen it all. And. And then I'm like, well, I'm posting this on social media and like, there's like, you know, different cultures that like, barely even show their shoulders, let alone their Belly button, let alone their thighs.

[Alex Clark]

Right.

[Bethany Hamilton]

And like I do consciously, you know, especially if I'm going to be photographed, I'm wearing a very modest. In my mind, it's more modest. You know, my belly button might be showing, which supposedly your scent, your belly button getting exposed to the sun is. It will absorb even more vitamin D than other areas of your body.

[Ad Read / Sponsor Voice]

Okay.

[Alex Clark]

Health and wellness hack.

[Bethany Hamilton]

So I like, think of all the things I'm like, but. But my skin needs some sunshine.

[Alex Clark]

I think I did hear that, that if you really want to make the most of like a vit d sun walk in the morning, that getting that infrared light and also having your stomach exposed and your thighs like you need to have your upper legs that like those areas, I guess for absorbing sun is like super crucial and important. I don't know. You never. I don't think anyone would have called you controversial a few years back, right? Nobody would have thought Bethany Hamilton controversial. Now when people call you controversial, does it make you laugh? Does it hurt you? Does it fuel you?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I don't really feel like I feel any of that.

[Alex Clark]

That's good.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I just hold to my convictions and I know that I've been given a platform and when I feel it's a right time for me to hold to my conviction, I do honestly, like, I'm not very passionate about that though. Like, I'm not like, yeah, let's go fight the battle against all the people behind their keyboards. You know, like, that's not my passion. But I also feel like God has given me a strength and a will and a conviction that I'm called to hold by and when I should, I should. And so it's been such a journey because, yeah, as Covid started to happen, like, I very, you know, I was already pretty anti vaccine. I was very holistic minded, but I kept it mostly to myself because I'm like, it's not really fun to go and battle people and. But then like everything in Covid happened and we avoided a lot of the things going on with that, like vaccines. I rarely wore a face mask. I was just. I kind of saw through the propaganda very early on. And I think it was like when I got married to my husband, like, we weren't super aligned on health stuff. Like I just would say he didn't really have much of opinion on anything health. But then when we were having children, he was like, oh, we're vaccinating them. And I'm like, oh, we're gonna talk about this. But as he deep dove into it he's pretty good at researching, so I'm good at raising the flags. And then he's good at researching. And I think the biggest book we read, the Dr. Sears vaccine book.

[Alex Clark]

And then that's a Dr. Bob Sears that we interviewed him on this show.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yeah, he talked about the safe levels of, say, like, mercury for a child. And almost every single vaccine was above the safe levels. Who's to say those safe levels are even accurate? So that was kind of the start of our journey. And I was just like, I want to raise really healthy, basically, like hippie babies in Hawaii. We're playing in the dirt, sand, mud, and we're playing in the sunshine. We're knowing God, we're eating healthy, and we're loving on each other. Like, that's the life I want to live. And eventually Adam was like, okay, I agree with you. And then, yeah, life's just gone in so many different directions. But then I had heard rumors that the World Surf League, which is the main, like, NBA of surf, and I heard that they were going to allow transgender males into the female category. And so. And then on top of that, my sponsor Since I was 9 years old, Rip Curl, also was doing a campaign with a guy in a bikini. And I was like, hey, I can't promote this to little girls. Like, I just can't. We're not going there. Like, I can't stand for this. I'm out. Let's end the contract.

[Alex Clark]

When you first reached out to Rip Curl and said you are putting a man in a bikini in your ads, I am not promoting this. You've been my sponsor since I was 9 years old. Did you do that publicly? Did you put this on social media? Or at first, did you try to tell them this behind the scenes? Like, I'm giving you a heads up. I'm not posting while this is going on.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Respectfully, they actually came to me first and let me know that this is what was coming. And at that point, I had already said, like, hey, World Surf League, I want nothing to do with you if you're making this a rule within the female surfing category. So first, the World Surf League did their move. And what was really awful about that was they had all their surfers conveniently sign a contract that said, oh, you can't say anything negative towards the World Surf League or we will fine you 10k and you will be removed from the World Surf League. And so all the athletes were basically like, unless they wanted to give up their career and pay 10k, they were silenced.

[Alex Clark]

It was like, Ariel and the Little Mermaid signing away her voice.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Right. But they didn't really, like, probably read the fine lines like a lot of athletes do. We don't learn to read contracts, and we trust these agencies that have our best interests in mind when they don't actually, and they just want to make some money off us. I've signed some bad contracts over the years, so I've slowly learned a bit a thing or two about contracts and whatnot. But I was like the, the most well known surfer in the world. I'm not under that contract and I staunchly am against this. And I'm like, okay, here we go. It's my turn to say no.

[Alex Clark]

So before you decided to openly come out and condemn the World Surf League for this decision, was this something that just on your own one day you just like, post this and like, everyone was like, whoa, okay, Bethany bringing the fire. Or did you have this, was this a long discussion with your husband at home, like, hey, should I do this? I'm really feeling convicted to say something.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I had an internal conversation going on, like, if this hits surfing, I'm. I'm speaking against it because it was already happening in other sports. And then when the World Surf League sent an email to all the athletes, we were actually competing in an event on the North Shore of Hawaii, which is like the epicenter of surf. And then, yeah, we. As soon as they announced it, I was, I knew it was my turn. I was like, it's my time to shine. And I just kind of prepared a note and wrote it out and then read it out. Um, and I knew it was going to be kind of gnarly as far as, like, the backlash and the hate. But also I thought there might be some support too. And yeah, we just sent it and put something out on social media.

[Alex Clark]

How many sponsors did you lose?

[Bethany Hamilton]

RIP Curl. And I parted ways, which was my. Like, I had like three more years, which for at my age, to have a contract go to my mid-30s, it's pretty dang good.

[Alex Clark]

Nine years old.

[Bethany Hamilton]

And then I probably would have resigned with them again after that. It would have been more of like a lifelong partnership. I was just like, you know what if I'm having a daughter and I'm promoting this to her, like, I won't be able to live with myself. Like, I'm not on board for that. And it's really interesting. The guy that they invited to be a part of their bikini campaign, he's a unique fellow in that he won a longboard contest in Western Australia in The male category. And then he transitioned with drugs and whatnot and he won the female division like a year or two later in the same competition.

[Alex Clark]

That is interesting because usually these men that want to transition that are athletes, it's because they're losing. Like they suck.

[Bethany Hamilton]

It's like the guy was a good surfer and then he was like, wait, I'm a girl and I'm going to change my life. And also what was interesting is he would like, promote a lot of promiscuity. And he also, he looked like he aged really fast in like a year's time. Like, you could see photos before and after and like, you know, the drugs that trans males will take to. I don't know, I don't even know what they're taking. But I. The research I've done, it's not good for you. It destroys your health. Yikes. You could literally see him go from healthy to not healthy. And yeah, it's just been such an interesting journey. Like, I definitely could not have envisioned my surf career kind of ending like that. Like, I haven't competed in a World Surf League event since. They still have the same rule in place almost. No, none of the female surfers have spoken out against it.

[Alex Clark]

Why do you think that is?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Well, a lot of them are contracted and then a lot of our. A lot of them are fearful. And what really disappoints me is like even the former world champs who had their heyday, who never had to deal with this sort of rule. Granted, currently there's no males in the female division in the surfing industry, so it doesn't feel like a weight on them, I'd say. But if a male did enter, like, I think he would smoke them because the differentiation between females and males in surfing is a very large. But yeah, it was definitely very lonely. And you know what really bums me out too is the fact that none of the men spoke out. Yeah, like, it's like the girls have to self defend. Like it's all up to us to figure out our own chisel.

[Alex Clark]

Where are the real.

[Bethany Hamilton]

And I'm like, where's the men? Where's the fathers? Where's the guys who are supposed to be protecting the girls? And they're like, oh, you girls figured out.

[Alex Clark]

Do you think silence from other Christian athletes on this topic is wisdom or fear?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh my goodness. I think it's for sure fear.

[Alex Clark]

Do you think that that is a sin?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I mean, I'm sure you could find some scripture to back up, like, you know, like not standing up for what is good and right and truth. I don't have any off the top of my head, and I don't want to go as far as to be like, hey, you're. You're a sinner. I don't. I don't know if that's my place right now, but I do think that cowardice is such a big thing in our culture now, and it's. It's degrading the strength of the family, of this, you know, the unit, so to say. Like, we need strong men and we need women aligned with their men, and we are having a lot of misalignment and a lot of lack of strength and just standing up for what is right. And I think it's just devastating. And you can see the effects in our culture across the board, the dysfunction within the home and beyond and dating culture and everything. Just about everything's just become so degenerative.

[Alex Clark]

Do you ever feel pressure to just tone it down, to keep certain doors open in the professional world?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Not really. I think for me, it's more based off, like, my. The energy that I have. Like, I'm not speaking out against males and female sports all the time. Like, I'm just loving on my family and raising my children. And we launched our podcast, which we will touch on this topic soon, which we haven't really done it yet, but I have someone. I'm trying to get her to come. Is it Riley? I would love to have Riley.

[Alex Clark]

Because, I mean, Riley, we can text her right now. We should send her a picture and say, riley, look who it is.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I kind of want her to bring out baby and, like, come hang out here. So I was going to, like, oh, as soon as I wanted to reach out to her, she was like, announcing her pregnancy, and she's pretty far along. So I was like, you know, I'm gonna wait until she gets past all that.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, her and her husband, you guys will love them. Like, her and her husband are so much fun. And, dude, you know what? I guarantee she will freaking kill it in a surf lesson.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh, yeah, she will.

[Alex Clark]

She will smoke me. Let's just get that out of the way. You can take her on the real stuff. I bet she just crushes if she doesn't already surf. Who knows? She might, but yeah. So you have somebody in mind that you want to cover it?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Alex Clark]

Do you think that the surfing world has changed since you started? And if so, for better or for worse?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I think certain areas within surf, like surf media, has followed a lot of the woke patterns. Like, you can just See them kind of softening and kind of like following the trends of, you know, global warming and stuff like that. And you know, the way they communicate around women and race and all that, it seems like to me it's very much following along the way woke ideologies, I guess.

[Alex Clark]

Does it break your heart or does it just not bother you?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I mean, I just think that's part of life in the world and there's sin and there's lies and there's darkness and it's gonna be everywhere. It's gonna be everywhere. But at the end of the day, we know that God's in control and he's stronger and greater and more powerful than all of that. And I think it just draws me more to the Lord because I'm like, okay, that seems like chaos. This is peace and I want the peace.

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[Bethany Hamilton]

Y' all do not have female surfing's best interests in mind. And it's absolutely, so rude that you're allowing this and you're bowing to what the, the greater powers of. I don't know if it's linked to the Olympics and some greater powers above the Olympics. Like, I feel like there's some dark spiritual thing going on because you watch the Olympic opening celebrations. You're so, so messed up. You're like, what is this? This is some tweaked out mess. Like, they almost look like they're on some sort of mushrooms as they're preparing this like.

[Alex Clark]

And sports going on. This used to be or should be sports should be the great unifier.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I would just say shame on you, wsl. Like, why? Why? Like, you truly do not have women's best interests in mind and you're just following along with some trend that will end because we're going to win at some point or another and get things back to a more stable position.

[Alex Clark]

You're in a sport where your body is both your tool and your platform. How do you mentally separate taking care of your body from idolizing it?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh my goodness. It's been so much fun diving into health. And I'm. I had the cutest little nerdy start with health. So a lot of my best friends and I, when we were like 16, we started a no hydrogenated oil club.

[Alex Clark]

You're joking.

[Bethany Hamilton]

When you were 16?

[Alex Clark]

Wait, so you and I are basically the same age. So when we were teenagers, because I did not even know what the heck that was. You were saying no seed oils. Basically, no hydrogenated. No hydrogenated oil.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Seed oil, yeah. When I was 16, I was like, oh, hell no to this.

[Ad Read / Sponsor Voice]

Yes.

[Alex Clark]

And they've, and they've banned that now. I mean, for the most part, they know it's bad. So you knew this how?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I don't know how I knew it. Maybe one of my friends or I don't know who discovered it. I don't remember how this all came together, but we joined the club. So, like, Oreos were a no go because Oreos had hydrogenated oils. And then by the time I was 18, I won this, like, my parents won this gift raffle for a live blood analysis. So that was like my first invite into, like, working with a professional around my health. And I hadn't gotten my period at that point. I was 18, super athletic, super, like, driven, like, working my body really hard.

[Alex Clark]

And that's the case for a lot of female athletes as teenagers. They have no period.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I actually have this new kind of, like, wisdom, I guess, is like, I actually don't think athletes are like, the ones you should go to for health advice. Like, I really think a lot of athletes make a lot of mistakes. They're super depleted, they under e there. A lot of them are just not actually that healthy. Like, maybe there's a gem here and there, but I'm like, don't get your health advice from athletes.

[Alex Clark]

This is some wisdom right here. This is sending me. You were literally healing a sick culture. You were culture apothecary at 16 years old. And, like, your entire life has been dedicated to this. Like, I need to be learning so much from you. I'm. I'm so impressed.

[Bethany Hamilton]

So, yeah, so I did the live blood analysis. I see how dirty my blood is even at 18. There's like parasites, toxic buildup, lack of blood flow. And so I did a cleanse. And like, from there it was just my journey of, like, starting to read and nerd. And I found just a lot of interest in it. And it. I was also like, well, this will help me perform well in my sport. But even then, I still didn't have it figured out, so to say. And. And maybe I won't ever, who knows? But fast forward, I have a very athletic career. And then fast forward, I get married, I have two babies. And it was after I had my second baby when I hit another wall in health. I think I was just so depleted. I was under eating. Not because I had an eating disorder. I want to be clear there. It was just that I simply wasn't eating enough to be breastfeeding and super athletic. I was still surfing a ton. I was even competing. I was trying to get back on the main world Surf League tour. I was competing, like, around the world. But then Covid hit, so it kind of shut everything down. But I had like done this recommit to like try to qualify for the World Surf League. So I was just pushing my body through the ringer, plus nursing and just not eating enough and I literally hit a wall. Like my nervous system was fried. I would like drop something and just start crying. I was like waking up at three in the morning, wide awake, like stressed out, but like not understanding why. Like I was nursing and co sleeping, but I would wake up and like the baby would still be sleeping and I was just like lay there.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Bethany Hamilton]

So it forced me to have to like problem solve health issues and like what's going on? Obviously my adrenals were probably fried, my thyroid was probably off. And so long story short, I got really into the pro metabolic movement, which is kind of like high protein, high carb, a good amount of calories, not under eating, and then very mineral based. So making sure you're getting things like oyster bone broth is very high in minerals, eating things like bee pollen, taking magnesium, trying to get potassium and orange juice, coconut water, dates, various foods. And so like paying attention to those minerals and the calorie intake, I probably doubled my calorie intake. I was probably at like 2000 calories a day and I went up to like 3500 or more. I went from like not eating enough to like being fully satiated and eating a lot. And like I felt my energy come back. I felt like slowly but surely the emotional side started to mellow out and I just found my flow with food. Like I always was actually like as athletic as I was. I was never really like toned. I was kind of like chubby. But I would work out like six hours a day. I would like work out and surf a ton. Especially before I had children, right when I had all the time in the world to like do all the things. So I would just like surf for like six hours straight.

[Alex Clark]

That's wild.

[Bethany Hamilton]

But my body was just not getting enough nutrients and it was almost like holding on to whatever it was fed. And so fast forward now I feel like my energy is better than ever. And now I have four children and I'm like ready to charge the day. I'm way more stable, like mentally and emotionally. Granted, there's been a lot of hard things in my life, so emotions have been a little all over the place. But that's more of like, I think circumstances versus like health stability. So you can have like unstable health and you're kind of like fried and nervous system overworked. And then there's just like really hard things in life. And. And so anyway, I'm just so grateful that, like, in our conversation on our podcast, All Things Possible, we talked about taking ownership of our health. And I think women in particular really need to take ownership of our health. Like, stop making the excuses because eventually if you do have children, you're going to have to provide for their needs. And like, I want to raise really healthy children. Like, if there's two things I give them, it's healthy and faith. That's the two things I want to give them. I'm like, if I can do just that well, and love, love from mom and dada. But like, that's what I think of, like, when I wanna, you know, what am I gonna get my children? That's like the two most important things.

[Alex Clark]

Is it true that you served through pregnancy and postpartum?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yes. So I surfed well, I usually stopped surfing around seven months, so I'm pretty far along. Pretty big.

[Alex Clark]

That baby's in your tummy.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Surfing while you're surfing. What's crazy is I got better at surfing when I was pregnant. Why?

[Alex Clark]

Oh, do you think it was an extra, like something extended to help you balance?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Let me paint the picture. So I'm like, we were talking about being a ballet surfer, more graceful, free flowy and like the more like hip hop dancer surfer. I'm more of like the hip hopper. Like, I want to like, get crazy and like do the crazy things and surf the big waves and get the barrels. And so I really like go at the wave hard. You know, I put my all into it and it's like with passion and fire. And when I got pregnant, it almost slowed me down and smoothed out my style because I had this extra weight and baby and like, my timing got better. And I think it was also like some maturing going on. They literally got better at surfing. And then over the years I was just like, you know what? This is my one thing I love to do. We're going to be able to maintain surfing as we had the babies. Thankfully, my husband's like, around enough that I can go and get in the ocean. And so what, what is the physical.

[Alex Clark]

Prep to be able to do that surf while pregnant?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I think it's just being kind of fit to begin with. And I'm also an expert at surfing and then just continuing throughout the pregnancy.

[Alex Clark]

Talk about how you prioritize fitness during pregnancy, because a lot of women and I just want to get your take on this. So I interviewed. I don't know if you know Who? Benny Johnson is his wife, Nurse Kate. So Nurse Kate Johnson is phenomenal and great friend of the show. And she gets on and she says something kind of spicy. She says, look, I hear a lot of excuses from mothers after they have baby about why they can't get healthy, why they can't lose weight. She's not talking about, you know, in the immediate aftermath, but she's saying, like, if you are years down the road after pregnancy and you're like, this my baby weight. She's like, it's not your baby weight. Like, you are not prioritizing your health. And, you know, your health is suffering, and. And you know, eventually your own family's health could suffer because of that, you know, having to deal with you. So she's like, this is. You need to own it, mom. So Kate gets on and kind of drops that bomb. I mean, do you feel the same way? Like, it is crucial throughout pregnancy to be working out and taking care of this and not slacking.

[Bethany Hamilton]

So I probably have a very balanced approach. I want to backtrack a little bit on. An influence in my life was actually my mom, because my was a total surfer babe. Like, she moved from San Diego, California, to Hawaii, pursuing surfing. She was a little surf hippie, lived in a Volkswagen van. Eventually met my dad, who also lived in a Volkswagen van. They're total hippies. Fell in love, got married, and then had us children. But my mom was a total mermaid. And then after she had me, she kind of let go of her health and she, like, within, you know, by the time I was 13, she wasn't really surfing. And so I was always like, mom, I want to be in the ocean with you. And even to this day, she's such a surfer. Like, she'll check the waves, but, like, she's older now, and she's lost her mobility and she's gotten really overweight. And I was just like, before I had my first child, I was like, you know, I'm going to take care of myself because I want to surf with my children. I want to be there with them, I want to adventure hard with them, and I don't want to be held back by any health limitations. And so going into my first pregnancy, I had a very strong mindset. Granted, my first pregnancy was before. I feel like I dialed in my health very solidly. I was so exhausted, just falling asleep the first trimester, just completely exhausted, falling over in my chair, can't stay awake.

[Alex Clark]

So by the time you had your second pregnancy, what were you doing different in that first Trimester that gave you more energy.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Second baby, same thing. Exhausted, but nursing a baby, Been nursing a baby and then had another baby. Also traveled the world, Filmed my documentary Unstoppable. Like running hard, pushing myself too much, doing too much nursing, not eating enough, then having another baby. And mind you, I'm not eating enough because I just literally didn't know how much calories I needed.

[Alex Clark]

Like I have the same problem.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Close to like 3500-4000 calories with the amount of output I was putting out. And so fast forward third baby or yeah, third baby I am at this point I've had to start problem solving, right. Like I shared earlier. So I started doing the pro metabolic. So eating a lot more raw dairy, high protein, high carb. Like getting it all in, eating, drinking orange juice again, like being kind of scared of sugar for a while, even like fruit sugar. And then I'm like, now I'm eating it all, but making sure I'm getting enough protein so that that helps to regulate. If I drink a glass of orange juice, I'm like, I have eaten a few eggs before I did that, right. And so now fast forward the second two pregnancies. The babies just, there's something different about them. They seem a little like they got a little more edge than the first two. And my energy is amazing. Like I napped like less than make maybe a handful of times in my second two pregnancies. Like total in the nine month window.

[Alex Clark]

And what does your exercise regimen look like while pregnant?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Okay, so back to your question though with being exercised, I do try to listen to my body and I feel like I push myself too hard with my first pregnancy and maybe even my second pregnancy because I was like, I'm determined to keep my athleticism. And then fast forward to my third and fourth baby. I just kind of free float it. Like I didn't let loose, so to say I didn't let like stop moving. But I would just work out when I felt it. I would surf, I would do things that made me happy, go for walks. Like it was more of like a flow with life. I already know how to move, I already know how to work out. I know what feels good during pregnancy. And so I had experience on my side, especially with a professional athlete background and all the trainers I've learned under. I also started doing functional patterns, which is one of my favorite forms of working out. It just helped balance my body anytime my back would feel kind of out.

[Alex Clark]

I've never heard of that.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Functional patterns is amazing.

[Alex Clark]

What is this is it like a class.

[Bethany Hamilton]

It's kind of. It's a more holistic style of working out. So you're doing a lot of twisting while lunging, and it's more of like following the motion of the body. So as you walk, you tend to like, shift your. You know, your right arm goes with your left leg, your left arm goes with your right leg naturally when you walk. If you're in a healthy pattern. Some of us aren't.

[Alex Clark]

So. So is this something that you go to a class for? Is it something you do at home with videos? What is it?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I found a trainer who knew it and so I started working with him. They do sell, like, I. I bought one of their programs and I've been going through it. I actually want to get certified so I can just like train myself better and share it with people here and there if they want to learn a bit about it. But it's been such a game changer, and I feel like it's bringing even more longevity to my surf game. So here we are, four babies later, and I still really love surfing. And I want to be in the water with my daughter when she's, you know, 15, and I want to get barreled and then watch her get barreled right after me. Like, I want to like, maintain that. So how old? She's 2 and I'm 35. So by the time she's 15, that's what, like 13 years from now? So I'll be like 47.

[Alex Clark]

How old do people compete in surfing? Like, what's the oldest?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I mean, Kelly Slater is like one of the most incredible surfers of all time as far as competitively, and he surfs incredible. And he just retired at like 52. But he's also an anomaly. He's like one of the best athletes of all of a history. And like, he's one events at like.

[Alex Clark]

Does he live on the Big Island? He lives.

[Bethany Hamilton]

You're thinking of maybe Shane Dorian. He's a big wave surfer and he's. Yeah, he's very well known too. But Kelly Sater, he's from Florida.

[Alex Clark]

Okay.

[Bethany Hamilton]

He gets kind of a nomad.

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[Alex Clark]

So I'm in the bathroom last week, right, trying to deep clean before my mom visits because she's bringing the beanie babies, all 400 of them. She lines them up like a soft judgmental army watching me scrub grout. I'm in there with a can of Lysol. Door closed and halfway through I realize I can't breathe. My eyes are watering, the air is basically mustard gas, and I'm like, this is how they're gonna find me. Unconscious on the floor. Judged by Princess Diana Bear. That's why now I only clean with Branch Basics. It's the one non toxic concentrate that cleans everything from makeup brushes to tile floors, toilets, produce, and even car windshields. It's the most effective, cost efficient swap that you can make. Branch Basics is a plant and mineral based cleaning system that actually works. No synthetic fragrances, no harsh chemicals. It's safe for pets, kids, your mom's vintage stuffed animal collection with the beans. Branch Basics premium starter kit replaces dozens of toxic cleaners with one simple concentrate. That's right, one product. Imagine the under sink space that you are about to inherit. I use it for everything. And this would be a fantastic gift for your mom, your aunts, and your grandmas. It is cheaper than whatever cleaning solution they're currently using now, which is also seriously damaging their health. Refills are just a couple bucks each. Okay. My house smells clean. My lungs are intact. My mom's beanie babies finally approve. This is a smart Christmas gift. Go to branch basics.com use code ALEX. 15 for 15 off your premium starter Kit. Get that premium starter kit for all of the women in your life that like you need to buy a Christmas gift for. That's branch basics.com code Alex 15 for 15 off the premium starter kit. What surprised you the most about returning to the waves after each pregnancy?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Okay. My first return back to the water after my first baby was so humbling because I just could barely even stand up. I felt so weak and I like had the extra weight and I was just so humbling. I think like I was so excited to get in the water and then it was just like, oh, that was awful. But slowly but surely I, you know, worked on my strength. And I think that's the thing is like with my first two, I feel like I was really hard on myself and there wasn't a lot of love there. There was just like aggression and like, hurry up. I had been invited to compete and I had had some of my best career moments after I had my first baby. And it was shortly after, like, cool. It was a year after I had my first baby. I want not one. I, I finished third. So I made the semis and I lost to the girl who won the event. But it was just like I took down two world champs in that event.

[Alex Clark]

That's incredible. You know who that reminds me of? A little bit of ballerina farm. Yeah, you know her, she, you know, just had that baby and then like a couple days later competed in a beauty pageant. People were shook.

[Bethany Hamilton]

That was insane. I mean that was a lot for me. I was like, well, I can, I don't know. But I actually had competed three months, three and a half months after I had my first baby.

[Alex Clark]

That is so.

[Bethany Hamilton]

And in hindsight, like, yeah, it was cool, but it was pretty intense on my body. Like it wasn't gracious, it wasn't loving. It was like, like, hurry up.

[Alex Clark]

Do you, do you like the, the 40 day rule of like if you can try not to get out of bed for 40 days.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I've had midwives that are like, don't leave your bed for the first week, don't leave the 10 foot radius for the second week. Don't leave your room for the third week, don't leave that floor for the fourth week. So I've had that sort of influence and I think for women like myself who want to go and just like do all the things, things really quick, you know, I want to go, just get back to the beach. I think it was really good for me. And I think you're just adjusting to so much in that season and you really do need a lot of focus on the baby. And if you add more things, you're, like, kind of stressed out. Like, it's a lot to get out in public. Like, I didn't like getting out in public without my husband for, like, the first three months. And I think some women, like, maybe they can adapt really well. For me, I think also having one arm does make it harder. Like changing the diaper. I use my feet. I don't like to use my feet out in public. Like, you know, like, you know, that.

[Ad Read / Sponsor Voice]

Would be really hard.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Things like that are kind of hard for me. And, like, I. It's just, like, mentally was like. Like, I just liked staying home and keeping things simple. But I think there is a huge adjustment, and I think there is a culture that pushes a little too hard, and we need to find that balance of, like, you know, get your health back in order. Like, take care of yourself, like, get some movement in. But also, like, you know, you don't have to compete three months later, even though it's possible. You know, I don't know. I kind of go back and forth because fast forward to my fourth baby in particular. I was the least pressured. I was in the most restful season. I was very confident in my nutrition. I just ate nourishingly, and I almost felt like it was the easiest one. It was the easiest one to kind of get my body back into that athletic shape. And I was just more patient and loving on myself, and I felt more at peace. And so I feel like I learned a lot as the babies went. And, like, I think there is a time, like, when you're feeling stressed out, slow down. When you feel overwhelmed, slow down. You don't have to do all the things every day, like, just. Just show up how you can show up. But then, like, when you have the energy, like, go for a walk, take care of yourself. Like, do some movement to help yourself regain that strength. Because it does feel really good to be strong again. Like, I want to be able to, like, piggyback my children and, like, you know, do all the things and be, like, adventurous with them. So that's what drives me is like, charging hard with my children.

[Alex Clark]

What do you see other surfers eating and how does your own approach differ?

[Bethany Hamilton]

It's funny. I am a surfer, but I'm not, like, super integrated into the surf world. I feel like I don't really, like, pay attention.

[Alex Clark]

Well, you've got your own family now.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yeah, I'm just, like, on my own journey. And also I feel like with health, I'm like, oh, my gosh. I feel like we've hit this jackpot of figuring out the raw dairy. Lots of red meat.

[Alex Clark]

Are you doing raw milk?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yeah. My brother is a dairy farmer, so we get fresh milk from him and we can go and milk the cows if we want.

[Alex Clark]

Do you let your babies drink raw milk?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yes.

[Alex Clark]

That's controversial.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I. I think I have gotten sick from it, too, because we, like, let it sit out too much in the.

[Alex Clark]

Oh, yeah.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Overnight in the car, and I got a little sick.

[Alex Clark]

Oh, you're wild for trying that, Bethany. That's Any milk, by the way. That wouldn't just be wrong.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I will say, like, after weaning my children, I think dairy is a blessing. And some of the, like, health influences I've read is, like, there's something called, like, siritu plasma or something in milk that helps you, like, with copper convert. It, like, is, like this energy, magical connection inside the body as far as nutrition. And I also grew up lactose intolerant, so now I'm drinking dairy and eating cheese, and it's all good.

[Alex Clark]

What does recovery look like for you? Sleep, nutrition, mental reset.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh, my goodness. This one's kind of an overwhelming question for me because I honestly haven't slept for, like, 10 years.

[Alex Clark]

You're not sleeping? Bethany, what's going on?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Well, I. I finally figured out, like, my children have airway issues, and I realized that I had airway issues too.

[Alex Clark]

Dude, did you get them a tooth pillow?

[Bethany Hamilton]

We're working on it. We're, like, in the process, because there's literally no one on the island that does that. So we've just been, like, trying to make these appointments, and we have to fly off island to make it happen. So anyway, we're figuring out their situation. To me, they're more important. But we might end up doing it for me too, at the same time. But, like, we did this, like, test thing recently where I had my finger attached to this thing all night, and it's like, I wake up a lot. Like, my sleep is not healthy.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Bethany Hamilton]

And I even, like, put mouth tape on. I put an eye blinky. There's no lights on in the room. I'm turning it. Like, all our lights are circadian rhythm.

[Alex Clark]

The airway dentist that created Toothpillow, she's a huge fan of the show. Friend of the show her. She's based in Texas. If we get you out for YWLS next summer, like, like, that you could. I could set you up with her.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Because you can do a tooth Pillow. Even as an adult. Right.

[Alex Clark]

I don't know if you can do. I think there are things that adults can do. What? She could help you with that though. But I'm saying if you wanted to make a whole thing of it, like I could link you guys because she's incredible. But she's been on the show before and she's there in Texas. So it will be a quick like easy to you know, while you're there.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yeah. So while I have improved my sleep a lot, I've just been nursing co sleeping. I just like kind of free flow it. But I keep going back to my first two children versus my second two children. The diet made a huge difference.

[Ad Read / Sponsor Voice]

Wow.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Like I would wake up in the morning after having my first two and I was like haggard. Like you know, must drink coffee. Like, can't get moving till 10 o'. Clock. Like really low motivation. Kind of like that extreme fatigue sort of feeling. And then the diet shift and like the focus on minerals and getting enough calories and like even I went through a season which this is counterculture. I would have a bedtime snack. So I would have like ice cream and like some protein right before bed. That helped me sleep through the night because my body is different than yours. Like breastfeeding. Being super athletic, I'm burning through a lot of calories. So I wasn't getting through the night off the calorie intake. And so the bedtime snack literally shifted my life. So anytime someone's like don't eat right before bed. I'm like like. But you might need to if you're like super calorie.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah. Babies that have trouble sleeping or falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night. I've seen moms talk about giving them just like a big bite of butter.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I've tried that. I think it did help. I need to get back on that because my little one still kind of wakes up.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, you should try that out. Because I'm like seeing people have like these miraculous stories. Like, dude, I gave my kid like just a spoonful of butter and like out like a light crazy stuff. So picture this. This, it's the day after Thanksgiving. You've got a plate of leftovers, you're half watching a Christmas movie. And yes, you're also eating turkey and stuffing in bed. Don't judge me. The only reason I didn't feel like a total animal was because I was wrapped up in my cozy earth bamboo viscose sheets last year. These sheets are temperature regulating, insanely soft and somehow managed to keep you cool even under a pile of mashed potatoes and gravy. They wick away heat and moisture so you sleep several degrees cooler. Or in my case, nap several degrees cooler between bites of pie. Cozy Earth doesn't just make sheets. Their all day tea and studio pant collection are just as comfy and breathable. Wow. This is the gift for the new mom in your life. Or if you're trying to pack your hospital go bag, let me tell you, I basically live in these from brunch to bedtime. Plus there's a 100 night sleep trial and a 10 year warranty on all bedding. So yeah, if you do not fall in love with Cozy Earth you can send it back. But trust me, you're not going to upgrade your [e-mail] and use code ALEX for 40 off. Sheets, apparel and more. Sleep cooler, Lounge lighter. Stay cozy. That's cozyearth.com use code Alex for 40 off. I'll never forget this one. White elephant gift party. I went to absolute chaos. Everyone was fighting over a sock puppet and the host was just roasting people left and right like yeah Sam, you really needed that sock puppet, huh big boy? You want to bark at my wall later? I did not last five minutes with that crowd. But somehow I found my new tribe. A group of wellness girlies who swap non toxic intention gifts instead. And this year I'm gifting one of the limited edition Primally Pure gift sets. So they've got everything from the mini body butter set to the mini serum trio. Oh my gosh I love that for the skincare lover. And my personal favorite is the lip care kit. Guys, this was how I was able to break my lineage habit. These boxes are perfectly packaged, ready to wrap and completely non toxic. You know that these are going to be the number one most stolen gift at the swap. And honestly, it's because Primally Pure works. Primally Pure is a female founded company, Christian conservative owned. They make it simple to give gifts that matter skin care that actually nourishes your skin like their cult favorite natural deodorant or tallow based barrier supporting balms which I use all the time and swear by every product is intentionally crafted, sustainable, toxin free. So your gift is both thoughtful and useful long after the holidays. So skip the impulse buys this year. Give something that lasts, something clean and something your friends are going to actually really love and use. Use code alex [e-mail] you're gonna get 15 off. That's primallypure.com code Alex Clark, is there a food or practice that is non negotiable before you surf?

[Bethany Hamilton]

No, I'm definitely hydrating and I just make sure I eat something decent, you know. But nowadays I feel like I just kind of eat throughout the day and I go surf and I just have really good energy. So to me health is having good energy, health is having good sleep. So we're working on that aspect. But I think that's the thing with health is you're never gonna reach, you know, the pinnacle. Like you're always gonna be kind of tending and maintaining and taking care of yourself and little things might come up that you gotta problem solve. And I've kind of learned to accept that. Like I'm not gonna be the perfect, you know. Yeah, we're just focusing on what we can do each day and like we build in some habits and before you know it, the habits just feel really natural and you're not thinking about them and then you throw in another extra little habit and it just becomes your way of life. And so I, I would just encourage any listeners if you're like, oh, it feels overwhelming with health, like just slowly stacking in new habits and eventually the habits just feel natural and you just, just do it and it just happens. And a lot of our health routine as a family just, it's. We're together and we're doing it and it just happens.

[Alex Clark]

Are there any new therapies or hacks that you're into wellness wise?

[Bethany Hamilton]

For me, something that's been helpful, it's not necessarily something new, but it's stacking health. So for example, in my, I have a sauna and I have a red light in my sauna so I can do the two together. Sometimes I'll have a guacaw tool or I'll read my Bible. So I'm like stacking a few things at the same time. Because as a mother, I don't have all the time in the world. I don't want to neglect my children for myself, but I do want to have little windows for myself. So for me a day will be like I'm gonna go surf or work out. I'm not doing both. In the one day I'm balancing out my life and I've become more comfortable with like just balancing out the things so that I can show up for my family in a way that's good and healthy and not neglectful, so to say. Because I think sometimes you can get like, I don't know, I'm like an overachiever, so I want to, like, do all the things and be super healthy. But I've also found that slowing down and doing less has also been good for my health. So being able to get just. I'm not working out all the time. I'm not surfing as much as I used to. And that's okay. Just finding the balance and, like, letting go of, like, extreme expectations towards everything, like, health, like, even the way I expect of my children or my husband. Like, having too high of expectations can actually be, like, counter healthful.

[Alex Clark]

You grew up in a Christian home, right? When do you feel like your faith changed from being something that you inherited to something that you own?

[Bethany Hamilton]

It's interesting. In the Old Testament, this was something I recently was talking to someone about and how faith was inherited. In the Old Testament, they talk about faith being inherited through generations. And I think this is how God designed it. Like, our children should inherit their faith from mom and dad. Like, that is a good blessing. And I would say my children today have faith like. Like, even though they might not. Like, it might not look like extreme faith. Like, they're not evangelizing out on the streets. Yeah. But they hear from God's word and they pray with mom and dad and they receive at church. It's a really beautiful gift and just being able to raise my children in their faith. But I'm so grateful for my childhood. My mom would read the Proverbs and Psalms with me. That was her favorite. And pray with me many nights of the week. My dad was adamant to go to church. And then fast forward, I got married. Well, actually, I'm going to touch on. When I lost my arm, I prayed to God. Going in, like, that was like, the one thing that really sticks out to me is, like, I was praying to God immediately, like, lord, help me.

[Alex Clark]

Just survive.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yeah. And then even I think, like, in the weeks to follow, I had a peace that only God could given me. Like, a peace that surpasses all understanding. Like, truly, I'm in awe of just how I handled that. And I believe that the Lord was with me and, like, he gave me a peace that I might not have found in any anything else or anywhere else. And then fast forward, you know, I got married and started having children, and new challenges in life came up. And just diving into my faith. Faith on another level. Like, fast forward. I grew up non to Nam, and now I'm lcms Lutheran. So they're kind of like, you know, our church is more liturgical. We sing hymns. It's very more rooted in history. And our theology is very Clear versus kind of being wishy washy. Like I feel like I grew up in more of a wishy washy environment. Yeah. And now I have a lot of clarity. And to me this brings a lot of surety and peace. And my faith is not rooted in my emotions or in the, the challenges of life, but it's rooted in God and His Word and His promises. And I think no matter what denomination you come from, like, you can have that same like, kind of rooted in God's word, so to say. But I really appreciate the beauty of like our church now. We expect to receive the grace of God and the law every Sunday and there's a lot of scripture reading and the reverence is very different. And I just like have fallen in love with our faith now. It's very rooted and grounded and full of God's grace. That's what leads us and nothing else. And like, it's because of his grace. Then the works flow. Whereas like, I feel like there was always this, like, better have your act together, you better like show up and do some work. It was the workspace and like, you know, I'd go back and get myself baptized again because I was feeling like I wasn't being communicated God's grace in my life. And I needed that every single day, not just on Easter. I didn't need the Easter message only on Easter. I needed that every single day. And fast forward now I feel like I think of that every single day because of the influence of faith that I have now. It's rooted in the grace of God, but like it's married with his law. And so it's the grace that moves us forward to want to respect his law and his call in our life. And that is what moves us to do good works, to love our neighbor and to show up our best versus that pressure of like, oh my gosh, I'm not showing up my best. Like, like, you know, I gotta go get re baptized and rededicated. Like there was kind of this lack of surety, I'd say in my young years versus like God's grace is sufficient and you can always rely on that. And so it's been this big shift and mind you, that's been a 10 year transition. It wasn't like a light thing that we just kind of jumped on the bandwagon. Like we're 10 years in now and we're just super gay.

[Alex Clark]

You decided to homeschool your kids and as soon as you started talking about this, people started saying you're sheltering them and you said, yeah, I am. Tell us what you meant by that.

[Bethany Hamilton]

It blows my mind that that is the like, number one question you get. Like, oh, like, are they getting enough socialization? I'm like, yeah. And they're also avoiding a lot of negative socialization. So especially today, it's like, you look at the impact of devices on children's childhood. Like, children are not the same as they used to be. The average young boy is now being exposed to some sort of pornography by 8 years old. We've covered this a lot in our podcast because I'm obsessed with, like, people need to know this. It's crazy. And I just think that in the young years, our children need to be raised by mom and dad and nobody else. Yes, we can have grandpa and grandma involved. Yes, we can have friends. Yes, we can have aunties and uncles involved. But at the end of the day, mom and dad are the number one influence. Like my four year old, like, he is just, mom, dad, let's go. Like, he doesn't need to be with 20 other children. Like, he needs to be with mom and dad. And I see that and I see the impact of, I don't know, my children. I'm just like, maybe it's a bit of pride and like joy and like, love. Just like seeing how they're developing. Like, I think they're amazing and they're doing so well and they have such a balance. Like, they can have a great conversation with someone who's 90 or someone who's 3 or 2 or a baby. Like my 10 year old, he's just so amazing with everyone. And even my 7 year old, he's very similar. And their personalities are super different. But just seeing how they interact with the world around them and the different ages is really cool. And we're focused on not just math, reading English, but like, habits, faith, music. Like, I think homeschool allows for that. And maybe you're listening and you're like, well, Bethany, you make good money. Like, you can pull it off. Well, I have a lot of friends who are also homeschooling and they're living off of single income and they're just scraping by, but they're choosing to make a sacrifice that is really hard.

[Alex Clark]

When you say single income, do you mean, like, I mean, they're married, they're.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Married, but like, but the mom is not working or, you know, she's fully devoted to the children. So a lot of people, you know, I think there's just ways to work your finances. You know, some people are just, you Know, some of them are barely scraping by. They're not living in luxury, but they're devoting them their time to their children in this season. And so anyway, I homeschooled from sixth grade on, so I went to public school up until sixth grade, and then I homeschooled. And there's certain aspects of my homeschool that weren't amazing, I'll be super honest. But there was other aspects that, like, I was so developed and ready to charge the world by, like, 16, 17 years old. Like, I think I was traveling international by myself at 17.

[Alex Clark]

Whoa.

[Bethany Hamilton]

And it wasn't a big deal to me. Like, I was so developed and in a good way and very driven towards my sport. And then eventually I got into other lines. Like, I got into motivational speaking, which did not come really easily for me. I was very shy and, like, didn't like to be the center of attention. And so there was things along the way where I was able to devote myself. And then I got into health too, and I put a lot of time into, like, just learning and pushing myself in certain areas and. And it's just been such a fun journey. But I see the beauty in, like, being able to pursue things that I was genuinely passionate about from, say, 14 on.

[Alex Clark]

How do you realistically manage school time, family time, church time, your wife, your athlete identity? How does that all fit in in a day?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh, my goodness. Well, we're not always killing it on everything in every single day. And then, like, there's rough moments and realignment moments where we gotta, like, realign and reevaluate our time spend. And I would say nutrition's a big part of that and respecting my need for sleep so that I can show up and do all the things and not feel like I'm burning out by two o'. Clock. And then I just prior, like, our children are home with us, but we do have a really cool setup because my mom lives with us, my mom and dad live in our guest house. And so my children can run back there anytime. So a lot of times I'm like, we gotta get her good, get a meeting down done. So run back to grandma's and go hang for an hour. So we have like, some things going for us that make it definitely more doable. But even if they weren't living there, I believe there's way to ways to set up your children to have creative play time where they're somewhat independent. Like, my big boys are just, I don't know, they're doing their thing a lot of Times when they're not being directed by me.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Bethany Hamilton]

And they have an independence, but also they're very involved and engaged and helpful and learning and yeah, it's been wild to see like my two olders learning to read. So my oldest, I started at four and a half. He was showing interest in wanting to read. And then my second eldest, I started him at six and a half and it was so much easier to teach my second. It was such a joyful process. He was ready for it. And so I believe in delayed learning. Like, like, you know, the, the studious learning. I don't think we need to start at five or four and a half.

[Alex Clark]

I don't either.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Preschoolers are learning how to read. I'm like, why?

[Alex Clark]

I don't either.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Keep pulling your teeth out. Mom's like, just stop and go play in nature. And if you want to draw a letter in the sand, do it. But you and I are on the same page.

[Alex Clark]

I literally, the way I have freaked so many people out being like, my kid isn't reading by, you know, six, seven years old. I'm not, I'm not pregnant.

[Bethany Hamilton]

So here, listen to this though. So with, I mean, every child's different. So I know that I'm thinking of that as I say this though. I'm like, my seven year old's like six and a half. Oh my gosh. Like, he's not reading. Like, what in the world are we doing? We start his reading and by the time he's like seven, he's full blown reading and if anything he's like at a six grade level. Wow. So it happened really fast and everything. He was ready for it.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah.

[Bethany Hamilton]

I do love the Read Aloud family. Like I never read the book, but there's a woman, she's like, calls it the Read Aloud family. She might have a podcast or something. I never listened to it, but I heard her talk and it made such an impact that we started reading a lot to our children right away. Like not just like a couple board books, but like really reading and like starting to get them to get their attention span to be able to handle a little longer. So by the time my eldest was five, we were reading like Little House on the Prairie series. And he had the attention span to listen and then the younger brother was just along for the ride. So he's hearing everything too. And it's kind of this domino effect and they're kind of being read to on a higher level than they're maybe used to. But it's interesting seeing like my three Year old, his vocabulary or four year old, his vocabulary is really almost seems above and, and it's just like been amazing to see how even just reading aloud can be such a big advantage. And I'm like, if your child has a passion to read, they can learn anything. You know, that's the biggest thing they need in education is reading. Like it's so basic and we want to complicate education. But I'm just learning that, you know, a lot of those fears, worries and doubts, like our children can learn really fast. And I saw it happen and I'm so glad this happened early on in our educating at home because I had that peer pressure, that cultural pressure, that mom fear. Like he's behind, he's six and a half, he's not reading. And then boom, he's like way above his grade level and actually I can't get him off a book. I'm like, stop reading. We're going to do something else.

[Alex Clark]

When people tell your story, decades from now, what do you hope they emphasize?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I mean, I just really do love that my story is a story of determination and hope and perseverance and pushing through pain. Because you know, in this life we will have trouble. But take heart, Christ has overcome the world on our behalf. And so having this, this deeper hope, this, this greater purpose, that life isn't just the shark attack moments, but how we react to those and how we keep going. And for me, my faith has been a grounding, but I think also God made me the way I am and he designed me in this unique fashion to go in charge and surf big waves and keep surfing after I have all my babies and like all the things I've done along the way. But I, I do love being able to encourage people to just persevere through life because there is a lot of hard things that we go through and I think we all need like a reminder of hope and encouragement and persevering through the ups and downs.

[Alex Clark]

And if you could go back and Talk to your 13 year old self and just talk to her about her life ahead, what would you say?

[Bethany Hamilton]

I feel like the Lord's been so faithful to me throughout all the years since I lost my arm that I don't really have much to say to her. Like, I feel like the Lord provided everything I need, need. Maybe I would just say like, hey girl, the Lord's gonna provide everything that you need and to just lean on me no matter how hard it gets.

[Alex Clark]

You interviewed me on your podcast. You also taught me how to surf.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Today by the way which you did. Amazing. Thank you. Yeah.

[Alex Clark]

First time ever. I mean, I've never done anything so like, it was good for like never ever doing that. Which you can watch on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel. But where can people subscribe to your podcast? Tell us about it. Who do you interview, how often are episodes coming out and where to watch.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Okay, so we launched our podcast All Things Possible. I've been wanting to launch one for like three years and finally, like, we did it. My husband and I co host together and we're talking about a lot of things. Faith, family, health, and a little bit of culture. I'm especially passionate about. I don't know all of it, but like, I want to dive deeper into theology. Like, I think a lot of the churches in America are very watered down and a lot of our, our faith has gotten so watered down and we need to get back to our richer roots. And so a lot of our podcasts are like, as we're kind of still developing here, trying to figure out what's working and how to go about it. But that's a big passion point of mine. And then obviously I'm really into health, so I really want to encourage people to overcome in their health. So we're diving into that a lot. Then naturally, family. I'm just love encouraging people to want to have families and to look forward to this and to be able to problem solve the challenges that come with it. You know, no matter where we're at in life, there's going to be challenges and even, you know, having children. Like, I think there's been a season where I remember like getting to bed and I was like, that was awful. Like, that day was not fun. Like, that was an awful day. Like, I don't, like, I don't enjoy being a mom to like finding my flow and overcoming those moments and truly loving motherhood and being able to like, problem solve the little challenges that come with it and navigating emotions and all the things. And so I just want to be an encouragement at the end of the day. So, yeah, all things possible. And I'm on all the social medias. Ethan E. Hamilton. I am Bethany Dirks. But we kept the Hamilton going.

[Alex Clark]

I was just asked that the other day. They were like, when you get married, will you drop Clark and take his last name? I'm like, well, first of all, I will be taking his last name. But yes, like, when you're in a business like us, like, it's like impossible. First of all, it's so expensive to change. So Much branding and things like, with your name. But also it's just practical, like, for searchability people to find you. But I'm like, I'm gonna be putting my real last name, I think, on my social media, but also just, like, my handle would stay the same.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Part of me is, like, a little bit more private too. There's that I like my kids incognito, like, when I'm, like, traveling and I might like jerks. And that's true. But then sometimes we'll go to an event and they put my name under Hamilton, and I'm checking into the hotel, and they won't let me check into my room because my ID says jerk. So, like, oh, come on, people.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, that's a good point about having privacy. I mean, geez, so much of that.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Like, I'm not that private, though. I'm like, I share quite a bit of our life, but there's a lot that I don't share.

[Alex Clark]

I mean, different people have different, you know, rules about, like, showing their kids and all that and that are in this space. And like, I always was like, gung ho about, like, I'm gonna be showing my kids. And honestly, in the last month since Charlie was murdered, it's like, dude, now I don't even know. Like, again, it's these types of things. Stuff happens in life and then you change your opinion. And I am, like, the most bullheaded, like, I'll never do this, whatever. And like, dude, guess what? Like, stuff happens and, like, you change your mind. I'm probably gonna change my mind on so many things.

[Bethany Hamilton]

After I spoke out about trans, I was like, like, I need a bodyguard. Like, every event. Like, I'm gonna go start doing kickboxing and self, like, self defense. I was like, had this moment fear. I haven't ever done that since that. Even though I kind of wanted just for fun.

[Alex Clark]

Yeah, you would probably crash it.

[Bethany Hamilton]

It's weird how you're seeing our world change and there is a lot of chaos and it's. It is intimidating. Like, it's awful to see some of the things going down.

[Alex Clark]

But I mean, look at, like. So Charlie and Erica had made that decision early on. First of all, they had made the decision to keep their pregnancy. Besides a couple key people at the office and obviously their close friends and family, they kept their pregnancy completely private. Like, so for, you know, that those nine months, she did not come to our events. Everything. She stayed home. They enjoyed their pregnancy privately together. They did that with both their pregnancies. And they also made the decision to not, you know, blast their kids names anywhere.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Right.

[Alex Clark]

And so, and. Or show their faces. And I'm like, dude, like, they thought that ahead and then with everything that has happened, like, what an absolute gift and blessing that their kids are protecting in this way now. Because there's. Yeah, I mean, this is now. Like, you know, I mean, it's just scary times for them as a family. And so it's just like such a blessing that people don't know what their kids look like. And I'm just, I'm really thankful that they have made that decision.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Yeah, sure. Erica is too, on a different kind of like, similar topic, but different. Like, I have this passion to inspire the next generation to look, look forward to being a mom. Like, I feel like there's not enough of that and like there's some incredible influencers and like, you know, they love being a mom, but you don't really know. And I feel like the next generation really needs to see joy in motherhood. And I feel like the things that I share, like, I have a lot of purpose and desire to inspire the next gen. Like this one girl told her mom the other day, her mom shared this with me. She's like, I just. She just got an Instagram. She's like 17 and she. I was one of the first people she followed. And she's like, oh my gosh, I want to be a mom. Just like Bethany. I was like, yeah, like, that to me is so beautiful. And.

[Alex Clark]

Okay, so this is the perfect segue to my question I ask every guest, which is if you could offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, what would it be?

[Bethany Hamilton]

Oh, Jesus Christ for sure. And his grace. And I think that the world needs that more than ever. Like, there's so much darkness, but, like, his grace is sufficient for even the darkest of dark. And that's what can heal a sick world.

[Alex Clark]

Bethany, like I said earlier, you've been the OG at healing a sick culture. Thank you for coming on Culture Apothecary.

[Bethany Hamilton]

Thank you. Aloha.

[Alex Clark]

Don't forget to go watch our vlog, Real Alex Clark on YouTube. Leave a five star review. Tell others why they cannot miss an episode of Culture Apothecary. We're on a mission to heal a sick culture physically, emotionally and spiritually. On Mondays and Thursdays at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. My name is Alex Clark, and this is Culture Apothecary.