Austin Keen: Why True Athletes Stay Dangerous Into Their 60s | DSH #1755

Summary

Digital Social Hour: Austin Keen – Why True Athletes Stay Dangerous Into Their 60s | DSH #1755

Podcast: Digital Social Hour
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Austin Keen
Date: January 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, host Sean Kelly sits down with world champion skimboarder and entrepreneur Austin Keen for an in-depth conversation about athletic longevity, mindset, humble beginnings, adapting to new chapters, and the blend of business and athletic life. With humor, candor, and inspirational insights, Austin shares his journey from a challenging childhood in the South to becoming a celebrated athlete and businessman. The conversation explores health, resilience, the evolving world of sports, and how true athletes keep their edge into their later years.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Athletic Mindset and Longevity

• Sustainable Sports:
  Austin and Sean discuss why sports like golf and pickleball have skyrocketed—athletes can play well into their 60s and beyond. Austin notes that not only does this allow continued activity, but the competitive drive never leaves a true athlete.
  • "[You] could play it into your 50s, 60s, 70s, no problem. Most sports, you can't. That's why I think pickleball took off too." — Sean (00:03)
• Competition Humility:
  Austin recounts a humbling defeat in pickleball at the hands of older women, emphasizing the mental aspects of athletics and the lifelong nature of the competitive drive.
  • "We got smoked by 70 year old women... We both looked at each other like, we're not gonna talk about this again." — Austin (00:12, 39:11)
• Training Smarter With Age:
  Austin reflects on how awareness of recovery, nutrition, and mindfulness, largely missing from his youth, can dramatically extend athletic prime.
  • "Now with like...biohack knowledge...if you take care of your body, you can continue to increase your longevity your prime. There's guys in their 50s in better shape than I am." — Austin (28:39)

Nutrition, Health, and the Evolution of Athletes

• From Poor Choices to Superfoods:
  Austin contrasts his childhood diet—root beer and sugar-laden tea—with his current advocacy for genuinely healthy snacks (Vitamin Bar).
  • "I was chugging 2 liters of root beer, eating specific rolls. I was not eating healthy." — Austin (02:15)
  • "We have 25 daily intake of vitamins and it's all from the superfoods. So super clean." — Austin on Vitamin Bar (01:05)
• Changing Information Flows:
  Both speakers discuss how modern social media spreads nutrition knowledge to young athletes much faster, though some regions still lag behind (03:21).

Challenging Childhood and Unusual Upbringing

• Growing Up at Bethesda Home for Boys:
  Austin shares candidly about growing up with foster siblings in a unique communal setting, discipline via point systems, and the life lessons learned.
  • "It was kinda like its own compound community...my parents were responsible for like, I dunno, six, seven, eight boys." — Austin (07:53)
  • "They become like your brothers in a way..." — Austin (10:24)
• Early Physicality and 'Flipping':
  He recalls mastering backflips as a child and the resulting confidence and athletic foundation—skills that would help him later as a professional athlete (11:00).

Transition to California and Athletic Breakthrough

• Drastic Life Changes:
  Austin describes the awe of moving from rural Indiana and Georgia to coastal California, a dream realized through his supportive mother (04:17–15:14).
  • "It like, didn't even seem real...I saw my first palm tree, I was just like, whoa..." — Austin (04:20)
• Parental Support:
  His mom’s willingness to relocate for a nursing job enabled him to experience Laguna Beach, pivotal for his career (14:22–15:14).

Resilience, Injury, and Mindfulness

• Avoiding Major Injuries:
  Despite a career full of risk, Austin credits luck and gymnastics training for his durability but admits to pushing too far before learning recovery and self-care (26:11).
• Impact of Yoga & Mental Practice:
  Winning the touring world championship coincided with his first disciplined yoga/meditation routine—suggesting the mind-body connection as essential for peak performance.
  • "The year I won the tour for skimboarding...was the first year I was dedicating to yoga and...meditative practice..." — Austin (31:58)
  • "[Yoga] was actually...helping me keep my mind and body all together. That's ultimately what helped a lot with my competition skill set." — Austin (32:05)

Mindset, Motivation, and Adaptability

• Mental Side of Competition:
  Austin and Sean discuss how success in sports is as much about mental focus as it is about physical skill, especially under the pressure of unpredictable environments like waves or golf (31:11–36:36).
  • "The mental side of sports is undervalued...I think that's everything." — Austin (31:14–31:16)
• Comparisons Kill Motivation:
  Austin shares that the path to lasting fulfillment is self-direction, not comparison to others—especially in the age of social media.
  • "That's probably the sole ingredient to demotivation and unhappiness is comparing yourself to other people." — Austin (51:09)

Sports, Community, and the Power of Play

• Sports as Life Teachers:
  Both speakers reflect on the lifelong lessons from sports—commitment, perseverance, adaptability—and lament the decline of PE and active play in schools (41:11–43:37).
  • "I always say that [sports] should be a requirement. Like, we have PE class...But when I was growing up, PE class was so lame..." — Austin (41:14)
  • "Dropping in on a quarter pipe...teaches you commitment." — Austin (42:34)
• New Passions: Golf, Pickleball, Padel:
  Austin’s current passions mirror the theme of lifetime athletic engagement and competitive fulfillment (36:12–41:03).

Entrepreneurship and Social Media

• From Athlete to Entrepreneur:
  Austin unpacks his journey leveraging social media for authentic brand partnerships, building Vitamin Bar, and launching (publicly for the first time) the Marsh Water hard iced tea and lemonade company with his brothers in Georgia (44:41–52:56).
  • "Posting my action sports stuff was getting engagement. Well, we didn't even have that word back then..." — Austin (45:36)
  • "I've always been an entrepreneur at heart...creativity is how I'm gonna help keep building my platform." — Austin (50:04)
• Authenticity vs. Virality:
  He touches on the frustration of algorithm-driven fame, highlighting that consistent, authentic content is still the most fulfilling and sustainable path (50:50).

Vision, Goals, and “Riding the Wave” of Life

• Fluid Goals and Life Paths:
  Austin offers parting advice about having a flexible vision and letting the journey unfold organically—rather than clinging rigidly to goals.
  • "You can have a vision, but how the God or the universe gets you there is going to be up to that force. You're never going to have a blueprint..." — Austin (53:27)
• Living in the Present:
  • "I was more just, like, chasing after the vision, the grand vision, more than any specific goals." — Austin (53:28)
• Signature Send-Off:
  • "Gotta ride the wave, man." — Austin (53:59)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Getting Humbled in Sports:
  • "We got smoked by 70 year old women...And I don't think me and him have ever played pickleball together again." — Austin (00:12, 39:11)
• On the Mental Side of Competition:
  • "The mental side of sports is undervalued...I think that's everything." — Austin (31:14)
• On Yoga and Winning:
  • "That was the year I won [skimboarding], and it was the first year I dedicated to yoga and meditative practice. That was the year I won." — Austin (31:59)
• On Social Media and Authenticity:
  • "Never promoted any brands I don't believe in...I've been very authentic about the path." — Austin (50:41)
• On Comparing Yourself in the Social Media Era:
  • "Comparing yourself to other people...that's probably the sole ingredient to demotivation and unhappiness." — Austin (51:09)
• Final Wisdom:
  • "You can have a vision, but how the God or the universe gets you there is going to be up to that force...Gotta ride the wave, man." — Austin (53:27, 53:59)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• True Athlete Longevity / Pickleball Humbling – 00:03, 39:11
• Nutrition and Upbringing – 01:02–03:46
• Moving from Georgia to California – 04:17–15:14
• Bethesda Home for Boys Experience – 07:13–10:24
• Backflip Stories and Athletic Foundations – 11:00–13:19
• Learning from Early Injuries / Value of Recovery – 26:11–29:20
• Mindset, Yoga, and Winning – 31:06–33:59
• Nontraditional Sports (Golf, Pickleball, Padel) – 36:00–41:03
• PE Class Reflections and Skateboarding as Life Lesson – 41:11–43:37
• Entrepreneurship & Social Media Strategy – 44:41–52:18
• Marsh Water Hard Tea Announcement – 52:18
• Final Advice and Philosophy – 53:02–54:02

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Conclusion

This candid, energetic episode traverses the highs and lows of chasing dreams, evolving as an athlete, and steering one’s own destiny both in sports and business. Austin Keen’s warmth, resilience, and humor shine as he reminds listeners:
"You've got to ride the wave..." (53:59)
No matter the setbacks or shifts, a true athlete never loses their competitive fire—or their knack for reinvention.

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Transcript

[A]

True athlete. That's challenging, it's satisfying.

[B]

Yeah. You could play it into your 50s, 60s, 70s, no problem. Right. Most sports, you can't. That's why I think pickleball took off too.

[A]

I had a pickleball phase. I remember me and my buddy got challenged by these because we're just trying to get on the courts. And then so these older women, they were probably in their 70s. We're like, I guess we'll play. We'll give them the time of the day, we'll play with them. And then we start playing and we got smoked by seven year old women. I mean, they might have been their 60s, but either way. Do they smoke? Smoked us. And we were like, we both looked each other like, we're not gonna talk about this again. Let's play one more match. And then they smoked us again. And I don't think we, me and him have ever played pickleball together again.

[B]

We got Austin on the show today. Flew in from OC Just for the pod. Thanks for coming, man.

[A]

That's right, dude.

[B]

Yeah. Repping the vitamin bar shirt.

[A]

We're here.

[B]

Healthy snacks, right?

[A]

Healthy snacks. The healthiest bars on in the market.

[B]

That's a big issue these days, man. You go into any grocery store, the.

[A]

Cleanest, best tasting bar that you can buy right now.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. How many ingredients are in the bar?

[A]

A handful, but we got 15 superfoods, so that makes the ingredients list add up for sure. And all the. We have 25 daily intake of vitamins and it's all from the superfoods. So super clean. Not trying to sell it too hard here, but.

[B]

No, you're good, you're good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

My side hobby when I'm at grocery stores is to just read ingredient lists. And I even have this app that scans. Have you heard of this app?

[A]

Which app is Yuka? Yeah, so Yuka, man, they kind of. They kind of. We had some like, weird, like, difficulties with them, but we got all squared away. But we're.

[B]

Oh, they gave you a low score first.

[A]

It was weird though. Yeah, because we're like, what's going on? And like on our end it was staying low, but then they were saying on their end it was like rated high. Huh? Yeah.

[B]

So they must have an algorithm.

[A]

Yeah, it must have been messed up or something. So they got it all sorted out recently. So we should be rated now. This happened like a month ago. We're all rated clean because they're right in Clif bar, like healthy.

[B]

Stop, dude.

[A]

Clif bars, like loaded with sugar and Freaking. How is that healthy for you? You know?

[B]

You know, it's a shame looking back when I was a kid and an athlete, eating Clif bars and drinking Gatorade all the time. And if I just optimized my nutrition back then, I probably could have been like a D1 athlete.

[A]

I was so malnutrition as a kid. I was chugging 2 liters of root beer, eating specific rolls. Like, I was not eating healthy.

[B]

And look at you. You still came out.

[A]

Oh, I mean, maybe that's, you know, I stayed very active, which probably helped reverse that. But you look at kids now and they're, like, hitting the gym at 15 and, like, taking protein supplements. Like, I had zero knowledge of that growing up.

[B]

Yeah, there was. There wasn't good information back then. I feel like.

[A]

No, no. And I was in the south, so we were 10 years behind. Anything else?

[B]

Yeah, you guys aren't known for eating healthy. Dumb.

[A]

Definitely not. I mean, sweet tea. I thought I was doing something good when I would drink sweet tea in the morning.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That was a morning beverage.

[A]

Serious. I thought I was hydrating.

[B]

What's in sweet tea?

[A]

You basically, you know, you know, brew your little tea, like concentrate, and then you just mix it with water and like, three cups of sugar.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

That's pretty much sweet tea. I don't know. I can't remember how many. It's probably like two or three cups of sugar.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

Just loaded with sugar, dude.

[B]

I haven't been down south often. I hear the food is heavy, but the people are nice.

[A]

It is, man. But, you know, I feel like the south is getting a little bit. Like I said, I feel like they're always 10 years behind. And also with like, social media and stuff like that, information's traveling faster. They're still behind, um, but they're getting more informed and people are starting to make healthier decisions and getting more in tune with better quality products. Not even just food, you know?

[B]

Yeah, so. So you spend a majority of your childhood down south?

[A]

Yeah, actually, I was born in Savannah, and then when I was like, two years old, I moved to Indiana. And I lived in the cornfields of Indiana for like, six years. The middle of nowhere, a little town called Knox, Indiana, and then moved back to Savannah, Georgia when I was about 8 years old. And then I spent the rest of my time there growing up, until I moved to California just right around 17, 18 years old.

[B]

And you must have loved Thought Move.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Dude.

[A]

Honestly, it like, didn't even seem real. Like, I mean, I just remember, like, When I moved from Indiana to Savannah, Georgia, and I saw my first palm tree, I was just like, whoa, this is so sick. Yeah, like, palm tree. Oh, the beach. Like, this is, like paradise. And then I started making surf trips down to, like, Cocoa beach and, you know, Florida and stuff. And I was like, Florida was, like my, like, dream place to live. I was like, I'm moving to Cocoa Beach. Like, I hated leaving it. I hated going back to Georgia every time. And so just when I had the opportunity to go to California, I mean, just absolutely unreal.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. A lot of people think I grew up in California, and, man, it's. It was a. You know, I. The universe definitely led me there, for sure.

[B]

Yeah. You seem like a coastal type of guy.

[A]

I'm a coastal guy, for sure.

[B]

You definitely get.

[A]

But, you know, everybody, like, says, like, oh, you look like you're from California. But I'm like, people in California don't look like me. Maybe in LA or Venice beach, you.

[B]

Know, but I think maybe the hair is what that's.

[A]

I'm saying. But, like, surfers, you know, you had surfers on here before. They don't. They don't. A lot of surfers don't have, like, long hair, you know.

[B]

That's true. It might hold them back when they're.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, might get in the way.

[A]

Yeah. The dreads work in my favor because, like, when I used to have long hair when I was a kid, before dreads and. And, you know, the water kind of sticks it together. But when I'm, like, doing my thing and I'm in a barrel, you know, the locks kind of have space so I can actually see through them.

[B]

Interesting. Wow. Is this.

[A]

Huh?

[B]

Go ahead.

[A]

No. So every now and then, I take that, like, air drop to the sand and blind and just hope I land on my.

[B]

Is this the longest your hair has ever been right now?

[A]

Yeah. I mean, it pretty much stays the same length, which I'm very lucky for. It's gotten pretty long recently. I've had. I've considered, you know, giving a little trim.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or something.

[B]

You know, sometimes I grow the fro out, but then it gets obnoxious.

[A]

Dude. It's cool, though. It's cool.

[B]

It's a vibe. It's good for brand. It's good for branding.

[A]

You know, you got it on your logo.

[B]

Got it on the logo. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I grew up with it, and it's. It's a rare look these days. The fro.

[A]

It is.

[B]

Used to be popping back in the day.

[A]

I'd bring it back, baby.

[B]

You think I should bring it back 100?

[A]

Yeah. It's a cool look, man.

[B]

I don't know if girls like it, man.

[A]

Oh, they love it.

[B]

They love your hair.

[A]

I don't know. I think it's hit or miss. People are either, you know, questionable, I think. You know, I don't know what people think because I see white guys with dreads, and I'm like, that's what I look like. Damn. And then I'm like, look in the mirror. I'm like, no, I look all right.

[B]

Yeah, I'll stick with it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Maybe some. Maybe some of them are like, damn, he has longer hair than me. I'm a void that.

[A]

Who knows, man?

[B]

Going back real quick to. To Georgia, though. Middle school was pretty rough for you growing up was. Was pretty difficult, right?

[A]

Man, middle school is brutal. Just like school, just like. You know, I look back on my childhood and it was like. I thought it was normal at time. And looking back, I'm just like, man, that was weird. And, yeah, I mean, my. My parents were house parents at, like, a place called Bethesda Home for Boys. So, like, it was like, used to be this orphanage back in, like, the 1800s or something, maybe even before that. And now it's like a place where. It's a. It's a. It's amazing place now where, you know, kids that don't have parents that can kind of help take care of them or whatever, they. They go to this. They go to Bethesda and they have like a whole property of, like, multiple housing areas. And then like, cafeteria, gym, church, like, all the stuff. It's kind of like your own little, like. It's like its own compound community. It's right on the marsh, right on the water kind of. And. Yeah, so, like, half our house was like our normal family house. And then you, like, walk through a door and it was kind of like hostel style. And then you have, like. My parents were responsible for, like, I don't know, like, six, seven, eight boys there. Wow. Yeah. And then, you know, it was all like a point system, disciplining them on a point system, which is kind of like a weird thing, you know, like, growing up with that. And at the time, I thought it was like, oh, this is just normal. Because we actually had. When I lived in Indiana, we had, like, foster brothers and sisters.

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

So, yeah.

[B]

So when you say point system.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What is it?

[A]

I mean, because you think about. They're not like, they're real parents. They can't, like, physically discipline or.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You have to be kind of like careful of that. So, yeah, point system worked. I remember when I was a kid, I was like, I want a point card. You know, I felt left out.

[B]

They had those in my elementary school.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, it's kind of a smart thing because then you get like rewarded, you know, at the end of the week. But like, my point system was like, you know, yard work and stuff like that. And then I got, you know, 20 buck bucks at the end of the week or something.

[B]

You know, I think it works, man. You know, reward them if they do well and if they don't, then they don't get anything.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I. Yeah. You know, these, these poor, poor guys, man. Like, they had it rough, you know, like some of them, you know, I know a couple of the guys end up being really successful. Ended up playing in the NFL.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. DeMarcus Dobbs, I'm pretty sure. Yeah. Has he played a few teams in the NFL? I'm not sure where he's at now, but I just, when I heard about that, I was like. At first I heard he was playing for UGA and I was like, oh, damn, that's awesome. And then I looked him up, like, later on he's like played for like. I think he played for like Seahawks, Niners, I don't know. I was, I was blown away.

[B]

Good for her.

[A]

That's amazing.

[B]

So were you close with those people that you grew up, him in particular?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, like, I remember he was like, probably like the longest in that. In our like cottage, they called it.

[B]

Yeah. So, wow, what an interesting dynamic to have, like your family on one half the house and then eight kids living right next to you.

[A]

Yeah. Wild. I mean, they become like your brothers in a way, you know, and like, they're just like part of the, you know, they're there, they go to school and stuff and you're doing your thing and. But yeah, you. I remember. That's how I learned how to do a backflip. Me and one of those guys were like watching Power Rangers and next thing you know we're like, start teaching ourselves how to do a backflip, backflip in the hallway. And that's how I learned. Wow. So I would just like use the hallway wall as like my spot. So you keep doing it crooked into the hallway wall until you slowly get more like backwards and then you just eventually just send it.

[B]

I'm sure your teachers loved you doing that in the hallway.

[A]

Yeah, just slammed into the wall.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

I got really Good at backflips when I was a kid.

[B]

Yeah. Can you do. Still do one or. No?

[A]

I always. I'll always be able to do a backflip, but when I was a kid, like, I was doing stuff I can't do now. I mean, I was doing, like, full twist. Like, I mean, I hit. I nailed a double back holy. On grass when I was a kid. A double backflip. Land on my knees.

[B]

Still crazy.

[A]

Yeah. I land on my knees, and I scared myself kind of away from trying that again, but I got two rotations on grass.

[B]

Dude, that's nuts. I've never heard of a double.

[A]

Probably fifth grade.

[B]

Yeah. I've never heard of someone we are so good at.

[A]

Me and, like, these neighborhood kids we are so good at. We call it flipping.

[B]

Flipping?

[A]

Yeah. Y' all want to go to grass flip?

[B]

You ever see those trampoline videos where there'll be, like, eight guys on the trampoline and then they all send the guy do that? You did that?

[A]

Yeah, not on. Not a level. They're doing it now, but, like, when we were kids. Do the double jump. That's how I got. You know, you really start. You practice there, and then you take it to the grass.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you. You do the cartwheel to get the speed, you know, the run cartwheel. And then. But yeah, we got so good at flipping that or tumbling, whatever. In fifth grade, our gym teacher was like, what is going on? Like, these kids are insanely good. And she end up, like, starting, like, a. Like, a tumbling class kind of. And she probably spent her own money because, like, our schools, there's no budget for anything cool like that. And. But when my brothers would. Like my brother, he was, you know, playing. Playing football. So at halftime, there wasn't a lot of, like, grass, you know, like. Like a lot of open grass like you have in Southern California, you know, it was just, like. It was so hard to find good grass. And so, like, my brother's halftime football. I'd go out there and just start doing flips just because I loved it. Wow. And then I love the attention, too. Did you.

[B]

Did you join the gymnastics team?

[A]

No, it was just. She started this, like. Our PE Teacher just started this, like, little tumbling team for, like, me and these. Like, it was, like, me and one other white kid. And that kid, like, ended up going to like, the, like, Olympic trial. Yeah. Look him up later on. And he's like. I mean, he's like, yoke. Doing the ring things and stuff.

[B]

Dude, you grew up with some interesting people.

[A]

Yeah. It's wild. Like, the south will kind of breed, you know, breed some interesting characters.

[B]

Some talented people out there come out.

[A]

From a little bit. Yeah. Makes you work harder, you know.

[B]

Yeah. Talented musicians out there, talented cooks. Yeah, you guys.

[A]

I mean, like Kelly Slater, that's. He's, you know, came from Cocoa Beach.

[B]

That is nuts.

[A]

So you, like, work harder trying to ride waves. Try to have to work harder to make more of what you're given. Yeah. You know, and so it kind of makes you, like, builds a foundation and then you just like, get hungrier, you know, you're not like, just saturated around it.

[B]

I can see that.

[A]

Like, the closest skate park to me growing up was like two hours.

[B]

Holy.

[A]

Yeah, it was on Hilton Head Island. I had to drive all the way around and my mom would take me and. Yeah, just first time walking up to that, I was like, oh, my God, this can't be real. It's like, I only saw that on like, Blue Torch TV and like, on tv, you know, I'm like, I just would skate for hours and get there.

[B]

So your mom really supported your.

[A]

Oh, my mom was. Is a saint. She took me all the surf contests when I was a kid, you know, up and down the east coast, and she'd take me to. Take me to a skate park on the weekends here and there and then. Yeah.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

That's how I got to California eventually, actually. I was actually visiting out here and then she's like, hey, I got a travel nurse opportunity, a travel nursing job in California. Would you want to live out there? While I was here, I was like, are you kidding me? I'm literally out here because it's like the mecca of skimboarding Laguna Beach. And that's how I got out here. My parents got divorced when I was like 15. And yeah, she. I could. I actually can't even believe that she went for that, but I think at that point we're just kind of. She was down for a change. And I actually, looking back, I can't believe that even happened. That was crazy.

[B]

Yeah. What a big risk to take, right?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Because skimboarding, she's not like a big risk taking.

[B]

You know, she probably did it mainly for you, I'm sure, if you asked her.

[A]

Yeah, you know, I think that probably had a lot to do with it for sure. But I think she probably, probably. It was probably a good paying job, paid housing, you know, stuff like that. So we got to come out here and finished my last year of high school at Venice Beach High School in la, which Was night and day difference from high school in Savannah, Georgia. And yeah, she moved back or actually sorry. I moved back to Georgia because I was like, oh, I want my independence. I graduated high school, ended up working dock construction in the middle of winter in Savannah. And I'm like, what the hell am I doing?

[B]

Yeah, I'm sure you hated that.

[A]

I was like, I was just in California like surfing, perfect waves and all this stuff. And then I drove back. I was an old 1975 BMW, my first car, and then drove it back out to California.

[B]

That's a three day drive, right?

[A]

Oh, at least.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

It was a week and a half since I got stuck the third time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Had to find one at a junkyard. How to get it shipped to this, like little, you know, Navajo town in Arizona. And just waited for a week for that thing to arrive and get it put.

[B]

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[A]

Ended up that, that first car, man, 1975 BMW, that was like my first girlfriend. It was just like been through so much with it. And then I tried to keep it alive forever and ever. And eventually, you know, I was like, if I want something that's going to get me to the beach, I got to sell it. Found it eight years later on Craigslist. At the same time we were looking to work with this automotive company and.

[B]

Bought it back the same exact car.

[A]

Same exact car.

[B]

No way.

[A]

Found it. I texted the guy, I was like, hey, what's your history on this car? Because the guy I sold it To. I thought he restored it, right? And yeah, I saw the Craigslist. I was like, yeah, this can't be mine. But they all have the same little like, quality quirks and stuff about them. Like the same little crack in the dash or something. And I was like, it's just weird. And then I text him, I was like, hey, what's your story on the car? I was like, is it still available? And then I got a call from the same number like 15 minutes later. And I was like, hello? And he's like, yo, Austin, this crazier call me. And he had my number saved eight years later.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I was like, shut the up. That's the first thing I said. I was like, I'll be down there tomorrow. Pick the thing up.

[B]

Holy crap. What are the odds of that?

[A]

Three grand more than I sold it to him for. Oh, he done anything to it?

[B]

He didn't even drive it.

[A]

He probably drove it. He did some like, weird stuff, the guy. Like. Yeah. I don't know, it seemed like he was tweaking a little bit. When I got down there, he was like, looking for the registration and all this stuff. Like nothing had been done. Like, he did the weirdest stuff. And. Yeah, when I got out, I was just like, oh, what did I do? I can't. I can't put this thing back together. We better get a deal with this company to. And then they ended up paying to restore it. Now I got it. My first car.

[B]

That's cool. I'm sure it's very nostalgic.

[A]

Austin Keane 2002 is the Instagram page.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, you got a page for the car?

[A]

Got a page for it. Check it out.

[B]

Holy crap. 1975. They don't make cars like that anymore.

[A]

It's probably got little pieces from 74, 76, you know, it's got some 1969 bumpers on there. Little Frankenstein.

[B]

You still take it out or you just.

[A]

Oh, yeah, I just drive it around. Yeah, yeah. Runs great. It's fully restored. Rebuilt motor, same. Same engine, rebuilt, five speed transmission. Cruises down the highway like butter.

[B]

That's cool.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Full circle moment. Yeah. That guy must have been shocked. You hit him back up.

[A]

Oh, my God. He's like, I had this thing sold three times. Everybody pulled out. It was like meant to be.

[B]

Plus your career took off, so you were kind of known too.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it was a good time. It was a good time for that to happen. Damn, man. Because I always said if I won a lottery, like, that's the first thing I'd buy is a 1975 BMW restored.

[B]

What else would you buy? A mansion?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, that's changing now, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. I'd buy a house in Turks and Caicos.

[B]

Turks and Caicos?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Never been there. Beautiful place, Heard good things.

[A]

Yeah. Dolphins, waves, kiting.

[B]

Sounds like your vibe. I. Have you heard of Island Fever?

[A]

Island Fever?

[B]

Yeah, it's like a thing where, like, if you live on an island, you get kind of like sick of it.

[A]

Oh. You get kind of stuck. Yeah.

[B]

You think you'd ever develop that?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I would. I don't know if I'd stay there like all year round. I'd be there like, you know, four months at a time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just get out of the winter, man. I hate winners.

[B]

I feel that. Yeah. Because everyone I know that makes a ton of money moves to like Puerto Rico or like an island. They get.

[A]

I got seasonal depression, dude. I just like every winter I'm just like, distraught.

[B]

Yeah, he goes to another country to surfer.

[A]

I mean, I try to. I try to get out to Turks or get. Go to warmer locations and where I can do my thing. But like California, man, like, it gets cold and rainy and stuff. Like people think it's like sunny California, but in the winter it's like three and a half months of cold and rain and then like you might have like, you know, a four day period where you're like, oh, this is amazing. It's, you know, 74 and sunny on it in December, you know.

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

But then like, a lot of winters are cold and rainy.

[B]

Yeah. I never struggled with seasonal depression, but growing up in Jersey, a lot of my friends did because it would snow a lot. The winters were cold.

[A]

Oh, I don't know how people do it.

[B]

I love the rain, dude.

[A]

The rain.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I like afternoon thunderstorms. I love thunderstorms. I miss that about the South. I miss like the, the summertime showers. I like it when it's warm. But cold rain, can you like. You don't even want to go outside and do anything like. Oh, it drives me nice.

[B]

Yeah, I feel that.

[A]

Like when I was growing up, we go surf in the rain, you know, it's like no problem.

[B]

You ever surfing? Like a hurricane or something crazy.

[A]

We chased the hurricane swells. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Must have been nuts, right?

[A]

Yeah. I mean. Oh, I was in my pants for sure.

[B]

There's people. Yeah, there's people that chase tornadoes.

[A]

And I think my first hurricane swell in Florida, I was so nervous. I had to go to go on the beach and. And take A. Because I was like so scared.

[B]

Damn. How big were the waves, you think? Like 20ft?

[A]

No, it wasn't 20 foot. I wasn't charging that. It was probably like eight.

[B]

Eight foot, that's still nuts.

[A]

It felt like probably 10 to 12 foot to me back then. Which, you know, I would have said that back then, but it was probably like 6 to 8. But for like a 13 or 14 year old kid in Georgia, that's big. Yeah, proper 6 to 8. Not like, I mean, you'll take people to California from Georgia and I'll put them out in like a two or three foot day at, in Laguna beach and they'll be like, these are like ten foot waves. It's like, this isn't ten foot, dude.

[B]

Yeah, that's nothing for you. Yeah, yeah. Eight foot wave. I mean, you missed time that it's a little sketchy, right?

[A]

Oh, yeah, man. It's just like the, the, the swells in the, in the east coast, like we'd go surf days where it's, it's just like, call it victory at sea.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where it's just like, it's just like little triangles all in the water, you know?

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's like super choppy and you're just catching these little like peaks and stuff.

[B]

And so there's no time.

[A]

Not like organized swells coming in.

[B]

Right. So there's no time to recover.

[A]

But those are scary too. You know, you come out here, you get these long period, like I'm thinking here as we're in California right now, but like you get long period, really powerful swell energy in California. So that's got its own vibe to it too.

[B]

You guys got riptides out there too, right?

[A]

Yeah, but that can be helpful when you're paddling out.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, God. Yeah, that makes sense. They're hard to spot though, right?

[A]

It's not good. If you're a swimmer and you have no experience, riptides aren't. Because what happens is it just, it slowly pulls you out. Yeah, but if you're on a surfboard and you're trying to get out there anyway, it's like you kind of look for that.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Use it to your advantage.

[A]

Yeah, why not?

[B]

Damn.

[A]

It's like conveyor belt, right?

[B]

Yeah. I've never heard that angle. Yeah. I'm such a normie. I get, I get scared when I see them hurry about them.

[A]

But that's why I always be like, you ain't afraid of rip tides. I'm like, yeah, I mean, if you're if you're swimming, like, it's not fun, you know, even if, like I'm experienced swimmer in the ocean, like, I don't really want to get caught in a rip because then I have to like swim all the way back.

[B]

You're supposed to swim with it, right?

[A]

Yeah. I mean really the most, like the scariest things are like when people are on beaches, we're like the. It's really powerful and the water can kind of what happens. It'll create these little berms down the beach and the water goes up, say like there's a berm here and a berm here. The water, the water, like on a set wave will rush up and then it falls down into that little dip. And then when it all falls in a dip, it has to come back out somewhere. And that's what causes that rip.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

It's like the waves breaking in like a certain area and all having to. It has to find its way back out and then, you know, like water with like, you know, the viscosity or whatever, like, you know, siphons itself out to the. That's what creates a rip.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

And then people like just kind of get caught in that or something.

[B]

Yeah. You ever have a really nasty wipeout or concussion from serving?

[A]

No, I've been very lucky, man. I'm really good at falling. I think I'll owe it to the backflips into the wall when I was a kid or something. But yeah, pretty, you know, knock on wood, you know, anything can happen. I think some of my worst stuff, like injuries are just random stuff, you know, like a warm up wave. You know, I cut my heel really bad down to my Achilles almost. And I've had like weird like neck sprains. You know, I've had like a guy fall on top of me like in a really heavy like shore break. Yeah. I feel like I've sprained my neck like twice and then just like old muscles, you know, because like, you know, I was like skimboarding just like non stop for, I don't know, 10 years and just like sand sprints and sprints and not really like doing any recovery. No concept of recovery, stretching or hydration or anything. I would just like, I just drive myself to the ground every session.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which I think is why I got so good. Because I just go so hard. I mean, I wouldn't eat for hours. I wouldn't even have a sip of water. Like I never brought water to like a session and I'd be sprinting for.

[B]

Four hours and you did get dehydrated.

[A]

Oh, yeah, I got super dehydrated. Yeah. And I think. And one time in Cabo, I was in a contest, and I had made it to the semifinals, and after my heat, I just, like, bent down and I was talking to somebody, and I got up real quick, and I just felt like my muscle just, like, tore.

[B]

Geez.

[A]

Yeah. Like, I think I got so dehydrated. Probably had some margaritas the day before, but, yeah, just. That's when I started taking care of my body.

[B]

Yeah. As I've gotten older now when I drink, my legs get, like, dehydrated. I don't even know if that makes.

[A]

Sense, but, yeah, like, that's the first thing I feel.

[B]

Yeah, they get tight, right?

[A]

Yeah, you just feel like you're. You feel like your skin get tight because your body's holding all that inflammation.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, the older I get, the more I realize how much. How bad alcohol is.

[B]

Yeah, I pretty much don't drink anymore.

[A]

Not good for you.

[B]

Yeah. I know in your lifestyle, it's tough to avoid alcohol.

[A]

Yeah. But, you know, as you know, you just start, you know, deciding the right times.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just be a little bit more frugal with it. Not like in my 20s when I was, like, pounding IPAs all the time.

[B]

I used to love IPAs, bro, the double IPAs, because all you need is one or two, and you're good.

[A]

Yeah. You know, I love the IPAs, but then I got fat, and it got me slow, and I was like, can't do this anymore.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, beer will put on some weight.

[A]

Now I'm just like, you know, tequila guy slash hard iced tea guy, you know?

[B]

Yeah, it's a good segue into.

[A]

But, yeah, I, I, I, I have a lot of respect for anybody out there. You know, if you're thinking about getting sober or not drinking full support, it's not good for you.

[B]

So when you were competing, were you drinking the day before quite often?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I was traveling. Like I said, I had no concept. You know, I was just like, oh, we're gonna go to, you know, travel to Outer Banks or Delaware or Cabo. You know, of course, you. You just want to make the most of the experience, you know, And I just didn't. I wasn't really conscious of how much it affected me the next day, and it probably didn't affect me. It probably did. You're just like. You're just ignoring it easier when you're younger. That's why people are like, oh, you're getting older, you feel it more. It's like, no, you've just been alive longer and you're more coherent about how stuff affects your body.

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's how I see it.

[B]

I could see that.

[A]

Because if you get yourself in that mindset of, like, oh, you're getting like, you're feeling stuff more, so you think you're getting older and your body's breaking down, like, it almost puts you in a negative mindset that you're like, already downhill. But as we see now with like, more like present day science and more people who are into the, like, giving us more biohack knowledge and stuff like that, if you take care of your body, you can continue to, like, increase your longevity of your prime up until who knows when. I mean, there's guys in their 50s that are in better shape than I am.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, like, so those are the guys I. I draw my inspiration from.

[B]

I agree. Yeah. Look at LeBron James. He's 40 now.

[A]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

And he's still top 10 in the league.

[A]

And that's, that's just comes with, like, the knowledge of, you know, the new knowledge and science of health and wellness and. And optimizing the body.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, there's.

[B]

Yeah, there's people reversing their aging right now.

[A]

I know, man.

[B]

It's crazy.

[A]

I want to get on all that because I want to be, like, crushing.

[B]

It when I'm 60. There's levels to it too, because, like, technically I'm 22, 23. If you take the test, there's like a test that tests.

[A]

I know. I've been wanting to do that.

[B]

Yeah, you should try it because then you could kind of benchmark where you're at and see how you can improve.

[A]

Yeah. It kind of almost becomes a game at that point.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, get a better score.

[B]

I think your age is probably under your real age. Oh, I would hope so, because you've been pretty athletic your whole life.

[A]

I mean, I'm 35 now. I feel like I'm. Yeah, I don't feel 35 at all.

[B]

You don't get sore?

[A]

Oh, I'm sore now. I worked out legs yesterday, so, like, day my ass is definitely feeling it.

[B]

Good old squats. Yeah.

[A]

I did all kinds of stuff.

[B]

My least favorite day. Oh, man, leg day.

[A]

Yeah. I was kind of neglecting leg day because I try to keep them fresh for what I do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But then I realized I'm like, that's a dumb way to think because honestly, like, not keeping my leg strong is gonna make me Perform less good at those things.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, and I'm doing. I'm doing those things a little bit less than I used to do back in the day. Like, I was skimboarding, freaking every day. Almost just sand sprints every.

[B]

Jeez.

[A]

I mean, if I would have, like, been taking in the proper supplementation back when I was doing that, like, I could have been even stronger than I was. Probably performing even better.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

I wish I would have been.

[B]

You were already an animal out there. I mean, you were one of the best.

[A]

Yeah. I think that's just, like, mindset.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was living off mindset back then.

[B]

That's what you think your edge was? Mindset for sure.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I could see that. Yeah. The mental side of sports is undervalued.

[A]

I think that's everything.

[B]

Yeah, it's like, at least half of it, in my opinion.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, that's actually the one thing that allowed me to, like, I feel, like, win competitions because I've always been in this mindset. Like, the closer I get to, like, completing something, like, it just. Right there, it just becomes impossible. I feel like I felt that in competition a lot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And once I just was able to kind of center my mind a little bit better. The year I won the tour for skimboarding was the. Was. I don't know if it has any. If it's coincidence or if it's results, but it was like, the first year I was, like, dedicating to, like, yoga and, like, the most, like, meditative practice I had outside of anything I was doing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that was the year I won. And I. I was. I. I got in that mindset because I got that bad back injury.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was like, I gotta take something seriously here. Like, I gotta start stretching. And I kind of did it for the stretching benefits, but I didn't realize that it was actually, like, helping me keep my mind and my body, like, all together. And I think that's ultimately, like, what helped a lot with my competition skill set. Wow.

[B]

Yoga. What type of yoga was were you doing?

[A]

All kinds. I was working with my buddy and his wife. They created, like, an audio library. This is back, you know, a while back now. Yeah, over 10 years ago. But they had an auto audio library called Hit Play Yoga.

[B]

And.

[A]

Yeah, I just started doing a lot of. They would kind of have little gatherings and I started doing that. So it was all kinds of different, like vinyasa flow. And then I realized I really liked the yin because it was more about stretching. But I think it was a By the, what do they call it, pharmaceutical, like the off label purposes or something like that.

[B]

Oh, I know what you mean.

[A]

It was like the off label benefits were actually connecting my breathing. It was the first time I actually did any like solid meditation.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was like focused on my body and my breathing. And then like that allowed me to hold my together during like skim heats. Not like get all nervous like, oh my God, I'm in the semifinals or I'm in the finals, you know, because it, it was a lot to get to that point. You make it through all these rounds and you get to that point, you're like, I'm almost there. I'm almost there. Oh my God, I'm in the finals. Like all I got to do is hold it together and just do what I've been doing, you know, A lot of pressure. Yeah, you can start to and then you only have a certain amount of time and you hope the waves come and you're like, it's not like a skate park where the waves just going to be there and you just got to perform. It's like, I hope the. What wave is going to be there. I don't know what that wave is going to look like, but when it comes, I have a split second to decide what I'm going to do on that wave. And you just don't want to be too giddy and you want to be too, too like over overly like stiff or relaxed.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just got to kind of be in that, that flow, you know. And that's the hardest thing.

[B]

Yeah, that is an interesting part of sport I didn't even think about, but the waves are kind of out of your control.

[A]

Out of your control. You have a certain amount of time to pick the right ones. Then you got like the priority stuff that comes into play. But then, you know, like you might go for one that ended up sucking in the next one. Now this guy's got priority and the next set that comes in, it's like up to him which one he takes.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So you can get on like that bad rhythm.

[B]

Yeah. So that's a whole part of the sport.

[A]

Yeah, there's a whole like strategy. I mean, if you get anything, watches like wsl, you know, like World Surf League, like their live broadcast. You can kind of see there's a lot of what people don't notice. There's a lot of like. That's part of surf contest. That's a, that's the controversy of like wave pool surf contest that they've put like one.

[B]

So the Artificial waves.

[A]

Yeah, they put like one, I think one stop on a tour, like the Kelly Slater wave pool, but it takes like a whole, a whole strategic like, chunk out of actual surfing.

[B]

Right. So you don't like the artificial, the.

[A]

Same wave, and then they're just there to perform as good as they can on that one wave. Yeah, like picking the right one. There's no, like, positioning yourself correctly. I mean, overall, most of the breaks that go to, they're world class breaks. So like, they're breaking pretty predictably, but it's still, still picking the right one. It's mother Nature at that point, you know.

[B]

Yeah, that, that is very interesting. Yeah, that there's a lot of skill that goes into it that people don't realize.

[A]

Oh, man. Yeah. I mean, people always like people. Anybody that tells me, like, yeah, I want to learn how to, I want to learn how to surf. I'm just like, you better want to learn how to surf. You know, like the closest thing I can get to getting my mind right and skimboarding competitions is what I'm doing now is golf. And I mean, it is like such a mental game, you know, than it is like a physical thing. It's like controlling, getting your mind and your body in the same, same motion. Yeah.

[B]

A lot of patience in golf requires the same thing.

[A]

Like if someone's like, oh, I want to learn how to play golf. Like anybody's probably like, oh, you have a journey ahead, you know, because it's so frustrating.

[B]

Yeah, the swing is just one part of the game.

[A]

Exactly. And in surfing, it's like, oh, you want to surf, you want to ride a wave. But like, there's this whole part of like paddling out, positioning yourself in the right spot and getting comfortable with the water, learning how to hold your breath and keep your together when a wave holds you down. Like, there's like all this that goes into surfing that people don't realize. That's why I tell them, let me just take you behind the boat and get the sensation of surfing. If you're not ready to put in all that work.

[B]

Right. Do you want to get to a pretty serious level of golf? Are you treating it more casually?

[A]

You know, my goal is just to get to a single handicap, be able to like, go out there and consistently put up like, you know, high 70s, low 80s score every round. If I can do that, if I can, like have my bad rounds be like, like mid-80s, like the bad, bad rounds. And that's when I'm like, I'll feel like I've done as good as I can do, you know? Yeah, I say that now, but I'll get there. And I want more.

[B]

Yeah, you're competitive.

[A]

I'm getting pretty decent, you know. Like, I still have, like, my terrible rounds, but I got my handicap down to, like, a 10. Gotten to golf some amazing courses. Like, I feel so blessed for that and worked with some really cool golf brands and some cool people. It's just, like, been this, like. I'm so glad I'm obsessed with it because it's just, like, adding so much fun to life, you know? It's like when I go somewhere now, I have something else to do rather than being like, when are we going to get on the boat? Or when we gonna go to the beach? You know, it's like, ooh, maybe we hit this golf course. And all the golf courses are so beautiful, you know, it's like.

[B]

It's a valid point because when you're traveling to major cities, likelihood of a good golf course nearby is pretty high. Yeah, Vegas has a few, right?

[A]

Oh, yeah. I've got some amazing courses here. Shadow Creek being one of them. It's like one of the nicest, most exclusive public courses in the United States.

[B]

I heard of it. Yeah. I heard the Wynn one, Shadow Creek. There's one other one. I forget the name. Dragon Ridge 1.

[A]

Dragon Ridge.

[B]

Is that a golf course or no?

[A]

Yeah, I don't know. Probably.

[B]

I think so. Yeah.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

I don't golf, but, yeah, I hear good things.

[A]

It's a great sport, man. And it's cool because, like, all these other athletes are getting into it. Like, we did a celebrity surf series with Justin Gagey.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he just got obsessed with golfing. And that's like the argument people, Like, I've heard people make, like, oh, it's too slow of a sport. You got Justin Gagey, UFC champion.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Multi UFC champion. If, If. If he's willing to be, like, put in the work and he's obsessed with it. I'm pretty sure it's not too slow of a sport.

[B]

Steph Curry's playing it. LeBron, Michael Jordan, all these guys doing high impact. Yep. I think it's a great transition after high impact sports, right?

[A]

Yeah. Because it hits all those things in the brain, you know, like, that an athlete, a true athlete, like, requires. You know, it's challenging, it's satisfying, you know, it's. Yeah. I don't know.

[B]

You could play it. Yeah. You could play it into your 50s, 60s, 70s, no problem. Right.

[A]

That's cool. Too.

[B]

Most sports you can't.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's why I think pickleball took off too. You could play that shit.

[A]

I got, I had a pickleball phase. And then I remember me and my buddy got challenged by these because we're just trying to get on the courts and then. So these older women, they were probably in their 70s. We're like, oh, I guess we'll play. We'll give them the time of the day. We'll play with them. And then we start playing and we got smoked by 70 year old women. I mean, they might have been their 60s, but either way, dude, they smoked us. And we were like, we both looked each other like, we're not going to talk about this again. Let's play one more match. And then they smoked us again. And I don't think we, me and him, him have ever played pickleball together again. Wow. Ever.

[B]

You got humbled?

[A]

I got so humbled I played pickleball again. Since then. I still enjoy it, but. Oh, man, there's. That's a. That's like a mental game, you know.

[B]

It'S more of a level playing field. Not as much movement.

[A]

Yeah, it's not as much movement too. Like, it's, it's a lot of movement when you play, like solo.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's like too much like fast thinking for me, you know? Like, I like, I got into tennis for a while because it was like a lot of movement. But tennis is like golf too. You got to learn how to hit the ball.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You had to learn how to strike the ball right before you can even think about strategy.

[B]

Tennis is a lot of movement. It's tough on the joints. Yeah.

[A]

You know, now Padel's getting really big.

[B]

Yeah. They just opened up the first one in Vegas.

[A]

I really want to play Padel because.

[B]

You would love it.

[A]

I remember I lived in this like apartment complex one time and they had racquetball.

[B]

That's a fun one too.

[A]

It's kind of similar, I think.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I love that. Like, I loved it, but it wasn't popular enough at the time for me to go find somewhere that had it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. But Padela's blowing up, especially in Miami. Yeah, man, I think it's going to take off. It's. It's already big in Europe, I believe.

[A]

Yeah, it's growing here.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. I love sports, man. Sports changed my life. It. I developed a lot of mindset that like, I have success in business because of sports, basically.

[A]

Oh, for sure, man.

[B]

I've been able to translate It.

[A]

I always say that it should be a requirement. Like, we have, like, PE Class. Right? Like, so we try to get kids into. But, like, when I was growing up, PE class was so lame, you know, like, there's so much I wanted to do. Like, the simplest stuff. Like, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. When I could just climb up a rope like they had a rope in gym class. I'm like, oh, that's sick. Like, I look back, like, my schools had nothing, you know? Like, now schools, like, they have, like, surf teams and skate parks and stuff. Like, I don't know, like, skate camps and stuff like that. But yeah, they just didn't have anything cool like that. Like, all the simplest stuff, like, you know, gym, gymnasium type stuff. They didn't have that when I was in school.

[B]

They went too. Woke. Man, I remember gym class used to be fun. And then they removed dodgeball because people.

[A]

People only fun. That was the best. Like, that was the only thing I remember, like, from gym class that was, like, fun.

[B]

So fun. I still, like, look for dodgeball leagues in Vegas, like, to participate in because it's so fun.

[A]

I haven't played. Yeah. If anybody told me, like, hey, let's play dodgeball.

[B]

Yeah, there's a kickball league here on my join. Kickball used to be fun.

[A]

Yeah, dodgeball is. But I think it should be a requirement in schools to make kids learn how to do an ollie on a skateboard and drop in on a small quarter pipe.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. Because those two things, the ollie teaches you how to, like, like body coordination, how to sync up your body to get that board, like, in the air and stay connected to it. That should be one. But I think even more important than that, dropping in on a quarter pipe. Any kid can do that. Any able kid can do that. And it basically teaches you commitment, you know, because I remember, like, dropping in for the first time, it's like the scariest thing ever because you have to fully commit, right. To dropping in. Because you can't. If you halfway do it, you're gonna slip out.

[B]

Yeah. You can't change your mind.

[A]

And it's really not that hard of a thing. But, like, every kid should know how to drop in on a quarter pipe and do an ollie.

[B]

Respect.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I've never done either. But I could see the thought process and the logic based off what you're saying.

[A]

Like, when I have a kid one day, like, they don't have to be a skateboarder. They don't have to do that, but they will. I'm gonna make sure they learn how to ollie and drop in. And after that they're gonna. Yeah, it should be as important as, like, finishing the fourth grade.

[B]

Yeah. Sounds important. Yeah. I think learning hand eye is important. Hand eye coordination.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, because you need that in everyday life.

[A]

Totally. And. But, like, the dropping in our quarter pipe thing, it's like a lot of mental battle going on your head. Like, this doesn't seem right. Like, I'm gonna go head first down. Like, you're not normally trained to do that as a human off a cliff. Right?

[B]

Yeah. They need to change PE Class, man. Because my teachers were fat, no one took it serious. You know what I mean? It just wasn't like it could have. It has so much potential to be a good thing.

[A]

Yeah. I feel like PE classes now, it's either like, some dude that's ripped or some chick that's, like a hot Pilates teacher or something. Like. Like, back in my day, it was like the PE teacher looked like they worked at the barbecue or something.

[B]

Yeah. Fact. No, it's not the same, man. I think they should just let you have the gym and you could pick what you want to do.

[A]

Yeah. Like, have a lot of things, a lot of options.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Kids stoked.

[B]

Yeah. Instead of forcing you all to do one task. Yeah. You know, I don't know. But, dude, what's. What's next for you? I know you're starting a hard iced tea lemonade company.

[A]

Yeah, man. I've just, like, it's been a crazy transition period, like, in my head, psychologically, just going just this long journey of being an athlete and putting so much into social media, you know? Like, I saw it from the beginning, before businesses were even on social media. I knew that was gonna be my path to any sort of, like, audience. And I didn't really, at the time, know, see it as, like, success, you know, just like, hey, I've always been an entrepreneur at heart. And I was like, worst case scenario, like, I'm gonna build this, like, Facebook following or Instagram following, and it's gonna be a way I can show people, like, what I got going on, whether it's selling a product or whatever. And I found out that, like, posting my action sports stuff was getting engagement. Well, we didn't even have that word back then when social media was starting. We didn't really call it engagement. I don't even know. Just got likes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And by the time I noticed I was getting more engagement, so I kept building it by doing that. Just what I love to Do. And I remember when I was work, like when I won the world title, I was working full time. I was plumbing and bartending and serving.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

Yeah. And I. That was the first year I was like, I'm going to do every stop on the tour. And I just chose like odd and end jobs because it's what gave me the most freedom. Like, I've always been on a trajectory with. With grandiose plan in mind, you know, But I knew that there's going to be a lot of, you know, shitty jobs or things I didn't want to do along the way just to get me there. So I chose things that just gave me a lot of freedom.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you know, bartending and serving and you know, working a little part time plumbing job like that gave me lots of freedom to just go skimboard when I wanted to. Wow. And I won the Tour had like 7,000 followers back in 2013. And I went back to work and I was like still feeling it wasn't like Disney where, you know the Disney movies where they came up to you with contracts. I was like, oh yeah, I'm a world champion, but I'm still a skimboarder. So I was like, if I'm gonna be able to do this at any point in my life, I'm gonna say I did it for at least one year because I'm a world champion now. You know, I might not get this title the next year or the next year after that. I don't even know if I want to keep going after it. And I had like 7, 000 followers with at the time was a lot. So I just leveraged that, got the sponsors who weren't paying me just to cost me a little bit of bones. And I made a contract. Felt weird for me to ask for money. I felt like I was asking for money. But a guy that mentor mine kind of put in perspective that like that contract was my product. That's what I was like selling to these companies, you know, just like you have sponsored attention.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I didn't think of it that way as an athlete or what I was doing. And I did that and it worked. And I was like, holy. I'm actually going to be able to like, like be a pro skimborder right now. And then got a manager eventually, Reed, who I met that that year. And he was just kind of helping me, like kind of be a middleman for companies I was trying to leverage.

[B]

And yeah, he was just kind of.

[A]

Helping me for a couple years and eventually things started doing better and better. And he had. Long story short, he had other people ask him to kind of manage him. And I was like, dude, you need to quit your job, do your own thing. He's so valuable, you know, and so sought after for, like, just. Just a relationship guy, you know? And so, yeah, just leveraged that. And, you know, my original goal back in Georgia was just to make a living doing. I love to do, you know, escape that box that I lived in. You know, I lived in this, like, just kind of felt like a dead end. I grew up very religious. I grew up around blue collar. Just kind of grow up doing the same thing everybody else is doing. Go to college, find a college sweetheart, get married, get a job from your degree, and just live in the same place. And I was just like, there's got to be more than this, you know, Like. And then, like, all these people I looked up to on tv, I saw them as fictional characters. You know, I didn't really see that as, like, oh, this is a path you could take. So I just kind of, like, it was kind of like a spiritual, just journey, you know, like the. The last 15, I guess. Yeah, 15, 20 years of my life, just, like, following my intuition and just really leading by what I'm passionate about and just leading by what feels right. And, yeah, it's gotten me to where I'm at now. It's helped me carve a path for other athletes and not just one sport of skimboarding, but also wake surfing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because when I got in, I didn't get into wake surfing until after I won a world title and a year before I won my second world championship title. And, yeah, like, nobody was making creative content on social media for wake surfing. And that's how I built such a name so fast in that sport, because I've never been on a wakeboard boat in my life. It was the craziest thing. It was just, like, something I saw that I thought would be super fun to do. And within the first three months of doing it, I had, like, a video on the Ellen show. And then, like, all these crazy viral reposts. You know, back when Instagram was a free for all people, just reposting your.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I had so many videos go viral, I was like, damn, like, creativity is how I'm gonna help keep building my platform. So I did that. And thank God, like, even when I wasn't getting paid by leveraging my social media, I treated it like a job. And as soon as, like, I was getting anything for it. I was like, this is my job now is to make content. Always be posting consistently. Just keep growing this audience. And I've always been very authentic about how I do that. Like, try not to like get too cheesy with anything but kind of like still be creative.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Never promoted any brands. I don't believe in any. You know, I've had a lot of offers for like one off post for stupid products.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Only promoted stuff. I've been very authentic about the path. Never done any paid followers or anything like that, and very proud of that. But it is frustrating too when you work really hard and you see people that have like one video pop off and then like the huck to a girl and she's at 20 million overnight. You know, you're like, what the heck, man?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But then you just remember that's what reminds you you're a skimboarder. You know, you're just like, you know what? Just gonna do the best with what I got. And I think that's kind of been like the, the. That's probably the, the sole ingredient to like demotivation and unhappiness is like comparing yourself to other people. Because everybody's on a different path and you just gotta do the best you can with what you got. And now I'm kind of on this next chapter where I'm like still trying to be like a great athlete, which I am. I feel like I'm as good of a skimboarder as I've ever been. I feel as abled of a skimboarder and a wake surfer as I've ever been. But now I'm also trying to manifest and put energy into these other business ventures. We got Vitamin bar, Snack Bar Co. Which, you know, we want to hopefully get in every store, every, every arena, every hotel we possibly can. And then I'm launching, which I haven't been public about up until now, but I'm launching hard ice tea and lemonade company in Georgia called Marsh Water with my two brothers.

[B]

That's sick.

[A]

Yeah, we've all. Me and my brothers have always been close. Always wanted to work on something together, but we've always lived so dis distant from each other. And we're just. Every time we meet up, we're just like, we gotta do something together, you know, So I just, I saw that this category was exploding. I enjoy it. It's gonna be a crushable little boat drink, you know, and from the south. And yeah, I'm really excited about it. So hopefully come January, February, we'll we'll be hitting some stores in Georgia and South Carolina and restaurants and. Marsh water, baby.

[B]

Let's go.

[A]

Tied somewhere.

[B]

Stay tuned.

[A]

That's our slogan.

[B]

Let's go. Well, we'll link your. Your socials below anything else you want to close off with here. Man. Thank you for sharing your story. That was really cool.

[A]

Yeah, man. I. I just. Anybody out there just, you know, keep doing the best you can. And, like, you know, no matter where you start, as long as you got that goal in mind. Doesn't have to be a specific goal. That's another thing, too, is like, people are always like, you got to have your goals and check them off. It's like, I never had any, like, specific, like, goals because I was carving my own path. There's, like, no goals to be had. It's just like, I kind of had a vision of where I wanted to be.

[B]

You were in the present.

[A]

So I was more just like, chasing after the vision, the grand vision, more than any specific goals. Because one thing I've learned this year and over the past two years really is just, you can have a vision, but how the God or the universe gets you there is going to be up to. Up to that force. You know, you're never going to have a blueprint, so you'll get there, but it's going to be. It could be. Take a lot of twists and turns along the way.

[B]

I love that, man. Well, thanks for coming.

[A]

Gotta ride the wave, man.

[B]

Ride the wave.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Thanks for coming on, brother.

[A]

Thanks for having me.

[B]

Yeah. It's good to meet you. And we'll link your company as well. Vitamin Bar. Check them out, guys. I'll see you next time. Peace. I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. Subscribe. It helps the show a lot with the algorithm.

[A]

Thank you.