EP 252: Eddie Donnellan – MeWater Foundation celebrating 10 years, Surfing as a conduit for change, YETI support, Overcoming fears, Fatherhood, and Every wave being the one

Eddie Donnellan is a surfer, father, and the founder of the MeWater Foundation, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. Calling in from his home near Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Eddie shares how skating a curb growing up with a stranger led to a single 15-minute conversation that changed the trajectory of his life and led him to a lifelong connection with surfing and the ocean. Eddie reflects on his own upbringing, his mother’s resilience as an immigrant and educator, and how those lessons shaped his work in children’s mental health and his passion for creating opportunities for underserved youth. He explains how MeWater uses surfing and time in nature as a conduit for healing, confidence, and community, and why sharing a child’s very first wave can be the most powerful moment of all. The conversation touches on the challenges and triumphs of running a nonprofit, partnerships with brands like YETI and Patagonia, and why integrity matters when it comes to working with supporters. Eddie also shares what’s next for MeWater, from college scholarships to taking kids on tropical trips that expand their world, as well as personal reflections on fatherhood, setting boundaries, and the lessons he’s learned from the kids who inspire him.

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